The Light Adventure Series
by FictionalTaco
Summary: Follow the adventures of Azusa Nakano, Mio Akiyama, Ritsu Tainaka, Tsumugi Kotobuki, and Yui Hirasawa through a world of fantasy, excitement, and peril. And lots of sitting around eating sweets.
1. Crescent Moon Dance

**CRESCENT MOON DANCE**

* * *

As the sun was approaching the forest's horizon, the usual melody of nature that was characteristic of the grove was drowned out by the cacophony of a celebration. In a clearing amidst the trees a group of five tents had been placed by a pack of goblins who had occupied the area.

Mead spilt out of tankards and extremely vulgar drinking songs sounded out from the goblin encampment as they cheered to another successful raid on the nearby village.

The small greenish creatures pranced around laughing and drinking and eating, unaware of the pairs of eyes that observed their every move. From the tree line, among the branches, there lay Ritsu Tainaka and Mio Akiyama waiting for something to happen.

"Mio, I'm bored!" Ritsu groaned.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have signed us up for this quest in the first place" Mio responded.

"I told you already, I'm sorry! But the pay sounded too good to pass this up" she jolted up from the tree branch she was sitting on. "Also, I may have been a little bit drunk when it came up…" She mumbled.

"You were really drunk." Mio said sounding smug. "You didn't even remember the whole exchange until I reminded you the next day."

"Well, it's obviously because you don't take good care of me!"

"What!? I take very good care of you whenever you drag me out to the tavern!" exclaimed the raven-haired girl, playing up her indignation.

"What do you mean I 'Drag you out'? You love going to Fier's place! Alright, let's make a deal" Ritsu said intently " Next time we go out drinking, I'll be the responsible one while you get to drink all you want"

Mio started thinking about the scenario where she got as drunk as Ritsu did, while she did believe that her friend would take good care of her, she was more concerned how she would end up behaving around everyone. The possible outcomes made her blush from embarrassment.

"I- I think I'll keep being the responsible one for now." her voice quivered ever so slightly.

Ritsu laid back on her branch, a small pout on her face.

"What are we waiting for, anyways?" asked the rogue.

"We're waiting for an opportunity to attack" replied the elf, she was watching intently as one of the goblins chased another around on all fours while squealing like a pig.

Ritsu started moving a small throwing knife across her fingers

"What difference does it make when we do it? If you're waiting for them to pass out from drinking, we're going to be here a while."

Ritsu reminisced of the one time she got to share drinks with a group of goblins some time ago, despite their appearance, they could easily drink a large man under the table.

"I want this fight to be as small as possible."

"You know I don't mind fighting big groups by myself, besides, you're going to be covering me from the tree line"

"Well unlike you, Ritsu, I care about your well-being. I don't want you fighting six goblins on your own."

She stared back at the girl lazing on the branch, a stern but gentle look in her eyes.

The knife slipped from Ritsu's fingers and she almost fell off of her branch as she fumbled it around trying to recover. Mio snorted.

"Aw, what was that?" Ritsu said half-mockingly, Mio blushed and turned away from her "Shut up" she muttered, the rogue laughed.

Ritsu crept up from her branch up to Mio's, she pressed against her and pushed her nose up with her finger.

"Did I hear a little pig creeping around here?" she started snorting and making pig sounds, moving her face closer to Mio's, she was trying her hardest not to laugh.

"Stop it!" she started giggling "We can't do this right now!"

Ritsu kept going until Mio finally gave in and started laughing. She snorted again, this made Ritsu finally lose it as well, this laughing fit was only stopped by the fact she almost fell off of the tree branch again.

"Please!" Mio wiped a tear from her eye "Let's focus on what we came here to do!" Her tone became a bit more serious, Ritsu decided to stop joking around for the time being.

The sun had already dipped down behind them, the crescent moon gently ascending in the summer sky

"Then, how are we going to go about this?"

There were 12 goblins total, led by a hobgoblin people around town called Iron-clawed Grawen, the way they had set up their camp was five tents, three of them were sleeping tents, one of them was apparently being used as a storage space, all of these surrounded a bigger tent in which most likely Grawen was residing.

From what the girls had observed, 6 of the goblins were around the campfire, two of them went into the storage tent, two of them stood watch at the main tent's entrance, and two of them went into the southeastern-most tent, while the hobgoblin had gone into the main tent and hadn't come out since the raiding group arrived.

"Well, we're obviously going to start with the group around the fire, since they're gathered out in the open it'll be easier than risking being discovered in the tents and having them call the rest—or even worse, getting Grawen involved" explained Mio

"And once we deal with the group that's having a grand-old time?" questioned Ritsu

"Well, I was hoping you could go with the flow after that and I'll provide cover from here."

"Well leave it to me fair maiden! I will lead you during this dance on the battlefield" Ritsu extended her hand towards Mio, the elf responded by placing her hand upon Ritsu's.

"Please take care of me tonight" upon hearing Mio's words, Ritsu's face suddenly felt really hot.

The girls were interrupted by the sound of pained shrieks coming from the camp.

The cauldron which was up until then resting over the campfire, lay on the ground, its contents emptied onto a goblin who was screaming at the top of his lungs, two of his comrades had tipped over and on top of him, the rest of the goblins were laughing at this display of misery. Mio gasped

"That's supposed to be a joke?"

"That looks like our cue to begin" said Ritsu who then descended dexterously down the tree trunk.

Mio cleared her throat, calmed herself down and stood up on the tree branch steadying her bow.

* * *

 **-The Dance Begins-**

Ritsu made her way to the back of the tent in which the assaulted goblin had escaped, when she entered she saw the small creature sobbing violently, it's green skin tinted a bright pink and covered by blisters, pouring mead from a keg trying to soothe the pain, it was quite the pathetic and grotesque display.

"I'm sorry that your friends are assholes" she said to herself, pulling both of her daggers out of their sheath.

She walked out from the shadows silently towards the goblin, wrapping her arm around its head and slicing its throat, then stabbing it quickly in the heart to stop his suffering, she put her back to the entrance of the tent and took a deep breath, the song of battle had already started.

Ritsu sprinted out from the tent, barely giving the goblins any time to react, the first one to go was the one who had its back towards her, she planted her daggers firmly in between its shoulder blades, and lugged him around to block the swing from the goblin coming at her from her left, they were engaged in this strange dance that Ritsu was leading, two arrows found their mark on one of the attacking goblins, two of the goblins ducked behind cover while loading their crossbows.

The remaining goblin who was out in the open charged at Ritsu with a dagger in hand, she dodged in a half pirouette and grabbed the goblin's arm at the wrist and shoulder, placed her knee to its side and dislocated it, the goblin shrieked in pain and dropped its dagger.

She threw the goblin over her shoulder and kicked the dagger up into the air, one of the other goblins who were behind cover peeked out of cover to aim its crossbow at her, only to catch a blade between its eyes.

Two arrows buried themselves into the goblin with a dislocated arm, ending his life. And all that remained was the goblin that was behind cover waiting for an opportunity to shoot at the rogue, it was a standoff.

"This should be easy enough"—thought Ritsu as she grabbed one of her throwing knives.

This wasn't the first time she was pitted against an enemy with a ranged weapon, and she wasn't about to let it be her last, tension built as Ritsu prepared to dodge wherever the goblin aimed, she could also feel Mio's support from the tree line, she was confident.

The goblin rolled out of cover, aiming towards Ritsu's general direction, she was greeted with a volley of crossbow bolts, which took her by surprise; she tried to dodge the barrage, but she ended up getting hit in the left shoulder, Mio secured the kill on the goblin and immediately jumped down from the trees to check on her friend.

"Fuck!" Ritsu exclaimed in a hushed tone "Where did these fuckers get repeating crossbows from?"

"Are you OK!?" the elf was worried.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. My armor took the brunt of it, but damn it hurts!"

"Should we call this off?"

"What!? No! I'm fine." Ritsu stood up and retrieved her daggers from the goblin's body.

After a short pause, Mio begrudgingly decided to continue with the mission. "How are we going to go about the rest of the goblins? Can you take care of the two guarding the tent?"

Mio doubted for a second "I think I can."

"That's my Mio!" The elf blushed a little bit

"Let's get going then" said Ritsu stretching her arms.

Mio retreated back to the tree line. Ritsu flinched a little bit, she hadn't been completely honest. Even though her leather spaulder did almost completely stop the crossbow bolt from going all the way through, it still had made its way into her shoulder a fair bit, making it difficult to move her left arm.

She opened a pouch that was strapped onto her belt, the pellets inside were mixtures of herbs she made for occasions like this, Mio didn't like her using them but she had no other choice at the moment, she put a pellet in her mouth and started chewing it.

After she started feeling the effects of the herbs taking effect she gave Mio the signal to continue.

* * *

 **-Familiar Feeling-**

Mr. Tainaka walked hurriedly around his herbarium.

"Some verbena, a couple of white myrtle petals and a couple of ergot seeds" he listed these ingredients off mentally as he clipped the potted plants in the room.

He walked back into the kitchen, the different herbs mixed in his hand. He put them into the mortar and ground them down, placed them into a small ceramic cup. He placed a kettle full of water onto the stove and lit the fire. He walked back into his daughter's room to comfort her.

Ritsu had been playing around the forest when she tripped and fell into a Hornet-Anthill, the little insects were known for their painful bite, even though harmless in the long run, their bite was normally compared to getting a nail hammered into your skin, and little Ritsu had been bitten at least a dozen times.

"Just hold on a little longer my little bobcat, you're doing great"

Ritsu had always had a high tolerance towards pain, but this would have a strongman crying like a little baby.

"Daddy make it stop! Make the pain go away!" The man held his daughter close to him

"It's ok Ritsu, you'll feel better soon" His gruff voice reassured the little girl.

The kettle started whistling, Ritsu held tightly onto his father.

"Just for a minute" With pain in his heart he pried his daughter off of him.

When he got to the kitchen he placed the ground leaves into a cup and poured the hot water into it, the infusion's smell always brought him relief.

He walked over to his daughter and held the cup steady for her.

"Alright, I'm going to need you to drink this. You've been very brave, Ritsu"

He tilted the cup slightly and Ritsu sipped on the tea bit by bit. She was trying her hardest not to spit the bitter infusion out, and she managed to drink the whole cup.

"You did good honey, you should start feeling better in a second."

As if these words were a healing spell, Ritsu felt as the pain started fading away, like a breeze in a hot summer day, her crying lulled down to sobbing, and then to soft breathing as she fell asleep in her father's caring arms.

* * *

 **-Plan Divergence-**

"Thanks, dad." This memory always came back to her whenever she had to use these pellets, the feeling of nostalgia flowered in her mind as memories of her life back home came one after the other.

"Dammit! Focus!" she couldn't afford to start daydreaming right now.

Ritsu's special herbal mix wasn't the same as her old man's, she also used tiger-sprout and poppy petals, in addition to being a pain relief it boosted her senses and made her body numb to pain.

She could push past her limits when she used the mix, but she considered it a last resort because Mio got mad at her whenever she did. If she wanted to be able to fight tonight she had to use it.

She entered the storage tent, her pupils dilated and what used to be complete darkness was as visible as if it was illuminated by dim light. Her searching gaze wandered around, but was blocked by crates upon crates of goods, stacked neatly in rows.

"This is way more than a small band of goblins could ever use or want"

Sacks of coin, grain, even manure and caged animals were in the tent, in her mind something wasn't making sense. She readied her throwing knives and ventured deeper into the tent in search of the goblins.

"This tent is like a warehouse..." Ritsu thought "...Well, but it's a tent. Should it be called a waretent instead? No, that sounds wrong."

She wandered the makeshift aisles of the tent, her head low and her senses keen, waiting for her eyes to meet her unsuspecting prey. At the very back of the tent the rogue finally saw one of the goblins, its back was facing her.

Ritsu took the opportunity and threw the knives at him, on after the other they hit their mark, one on its lower back and one on the back of the goblin's skull, the goblin's body dropped to the ground along with the crates it was carrying which produced a loud crash as soon as they hit the ground

"Well so much for stealth".

Ritsu approached the corpse with caution to retrieve her throwing knives, as she kneeled down to pick them up she was almost struck by wooden club, barely dodging out of the way she tried to pull out her daggers, but any attempts at arming herself were stopped by the goblin's rampaging.

She dodged strike after strike but couldn't find a window to disarm the goblin, the thing was going berserk.

"I have to get some distance between us" the rogue thought.

She climbed up on one of the rows of crates trying to widen the gap between her and her attacker as much as she could, when the goblin started smashing the stacks of boxes down, the rogue lost her footing and fell back onto a pile of cages.

"Come on Ritsu, think!" her gaze veered towards the cages and was met with the ones of several pigs, all of them looking severely agitated. Something lit up in Ritsu's mind.

"Well, here goes nothing!"

She started rattling the cages, this sudden agitation was met with furious and panicked squealing, the goblin started making its way towards Ritsu and she waited patiently for it to make its next attack, as the goblin brought its club down on the rogue, she dove out of the way and the club collapsed the wooden cages instead, a stampede of pigs emerging from the crushed remains.

The goblin was trampled by a sea of pork, while Ritsu dusted herself off and started heading towards the entrance of the tent. She hadn't thought about the consequences of letting the pigs run loose.

"Wait, this is bad" she thought.

The squealing mass was causing a ruckus as they headed outside the tent.

"This is really, **really bad** "

Ritsu sprinted towards the exit, as she emerged from the tent she saw the two goblins that were in the neighboring tent wandering outside in a daze, they were trying to make it to the main tent where Grawen was.

" **Oh fuck this is bad** "

Ritsu was panicking, a torrent of ideas ran through her mind, much like the river of pigs that was running amok in the goblin encampment. Ritsu finally settled on something

"Well I always wanted to try this anyways" she said as she hopped on the back of one of the stampeding pigs, trying her hardest to steer it towards the escaping goblins.

She drew one of her swords and attempted to swing at one of them, but since she wasn't really trained in the art of pig-back riding, she lost her balance and fell just short of the two goblins, they were still headed towards the tent

Just as she was springing back up to her feet, an arrow hit one of the goblins on the side of the head, he dropped to the ground dead, this made the remaining goblin panic and start running towards the woods, it would've been hit by Mio's arrow, if it wasn't for the pig that he grabbed onto and made his escape on.

Ritsu signaled towards the tree line to go follow the fugitive goblin, she saw Mio's silhouette hesitantly sprint across the treetops, following the pigs.

As her figure grew distant, Ritsu started heading towards the main tent.

* * *

 **-Main Act-**

"He's got to be asleep or something, right?" she thought as she approached the entrance to the main tent, this tent wasn't like the others, not only was it bigger, but it was more elaborately placed like one you would see wandering troupes use to house their main shows.

"Come on, Ritsu; you just have to go in, slit his throat, wait for Mio to come back and then you can both go back to the village and leave this train-wreck of a situation as a funny story to tell at Fiergrol's tavern."

She stood at the entrance of the tent, her eyes adjusting slowly to the darkness within. The place was organized somewhat neatly, a table for mess and a single stool, several wooden racks holding steel weapons –undoubtedly stolen from the village-, bookshelves situated around a sturdy wooden desk and a single cot.

This place looked like where a general would be stationed in an upscale battle, not the leader of a pack of goblins that were a nuisance to a nearby village.

"There's something weird going on here".

The rogue slowly and quietly made her way towards the cot, she was relieved and reassured by the figure that was laying under the covers, she prepared to dispatch the hobgoblin quickly.

But she stopped dead in her tracks, something wasn't quite right, something was missing, the rhythmic movement and sound of breathing was absent in the figure lying under the covers.

This is when she noticed the shadow that was projecting on her, and turned to face the ceiling of the tent.

"I see you're not as stupid as I thought" The words sounded coarse and deep like a bear's roar, Ritsu managed to keep her cool.

"That's weird, I was thinking the same thing."

The hobgoblin laughed "And with an attitude to boot!"

The figure standing on the support beam jumped down causing the rogue to back away slightly, she couldn't really make out his features when the moonlight was at his back but now they were a lot clearer.

He was extremely tall, bordering on seven feet, bald and with a muscular frame, his complexion a pale green that bordered on gray. Ritsu noticed his left arm turned into a stump at the wrist, a set of metal claws where his hand should be.

"That looks like it hurt" she pointed at the mutilated arm.

The hobgoblin stared at his claw, a strange mix of nostalgia and rage in his eyes.

"Simply a memento from an old friend of mine"

"Sounds like they're not great gift-givers"

Grawen smiled and started pacing around, Ritsu started doing the same

"I'd love to keep having this banter with you, but I don't think you came in here with the intention of chatting"

"Glad to see you understand"

The rogue opened the small pouch containing the small herb pellets and tossed one in her mouth, she strengthened the grip on her swords.

" _One"_ she started counting in her head as she was pacing around the room.

" _Two"_ She took a deep breath.

"You wouldn't really attack an opponent that's un-"

" **THREE!** "

Ritsu charged towards the hobgoblin and took a swing at his right side, she was met by the clashing of metal as his claws deflected her hit. She used the momentum from the recoil to swing back with both swords, again and again, this whirlwind of blades was met with the hobgoblin's steel claws.

" _Faster_ " she thought " _He's got to let his guard slip_ "

The barrage of hits continued in full force, each one getting skillfully deflected by Grawen. Ritsu swept the ground with her feet kicking up a cloud of dust into the air, she jumped up and delivered a roundhouse kick to the hobgoblin's left arm, leaving his defense open, then struck twice before she was hit square in the chest by the hobgoblin's knee, knocking her back and onto the ground.

Ritsu was kneeling on the ground gasping for air when the cloud of dust settled. Two deep gashes were visible on the hobgoblin's chest, vivid red and running with blood

"Little cat's got claws" he started walking towards one of the weapon racks in the tent

"When it comes to fighting it is said that it all comes down to the user's technique rather than the make of the weapon…" he threw down one of the racks, its contents scattering on the floor

"Your technique is impressive, I must say. Your movements are fast, fluid; your strikes are precise and powerful. However, you still lack _raw power_ "

Ritsu was still trying to regain her composure, she couldn't really feel it because of the herbal mixture, but she could tell that the kick had broken at least two ribs, she stood up slowly after finally managing to catch her breath.

"I think the clear winner of a battle is whoever demonstrates the greatest amount of raw power"

That sword—no, that… raw heap of iron that resembled a sword—was long and hooked, its blade spanning easily over 6 feet and as wide as a washboard. Grawen swung the blade over his head with visible effort, and it came crashing down like a tree falling to the earth

"Man you sure like to talk." she said with a smug face, "Now are you going to keep spewing bullshit or are you going to use that hunk of metal?"

Grawen cackled "Let's see who's got the bigger claws now"

Ritsu sprinted off towards him

"Let's see how well he can keep up with that thing" she thought.

She tried flanking towards his left side to avoid having to deal with the massive sword, but the hobgoblin reacted quickly. He blocked Ritsu's strikes with his claw and followed with a low swing of his sword, she dodged over it with a somersault and as soon as she landed on her feet she was forced to dodge again by the impending mass of death that came down upon her, she stepped back but the air pressure created by the swing of the sword kicked dust into her eyes, barely giving her any time to react to the kick that Grawen aimed at her head.

She crossed her arms to block but she stumbled back since her footing was unstable. Grawen followed up with another swing, the very tip of the sword nicked Ritsu's arm as she dodged in a single pirouette, not a single movement was wasted on Grawen's side.

His attacks slow powerful and deliberate, his pacing steady and in rhythm, a rhythm Ritsu could barely keep up with.

"I can't think.."

Ritsu attacked. Grawen parried with his claw.

"He's not letting me…"

She continued dodging swing by swing, step by step, she was completely caught up in the rhythm of this storm of steel.

"I can't… think"

Ritsu was outpaced, she couldn't even think of blocking the huge pile of metal, and her attempts at attacking were met by parries followed by kicks, how long could she last?

Even if she managed to dodge most attacks she was still getting kicked around and enduring cuts. Ritsu had to change the rhythm of the fight back into her own.

She slowly steered the battle towards the furniture inside the tent

"Keep moving..."

Ritsu had led the hobgoblin to the space with the desk and bookshelves, Grawen's attacks were still relentless. She jumped onto one of the wooden shelves, the hobgoblin cackled and swung his sword to break the bookshelf down, the rogue took the opportunity and jumped off of the shelf, aiming to strike at Grawen's head.

She was again blocked by the hobgoblin's claws, she bounced off of him and landed on her hands behind the desk, the humongous sword following her trajectory was slowed down by the sturdy hardwood of the desktop.

"You skipped a beat!" Ritsu mocked him.

She bounced back from the ground taking a step on the giant sword and flipped towards the hobgoblin and before he could react, her swords sliced through his shoulders and as he let out this guttural scream, she landed behind him and swung twice at his back, each time ripping the flesh apart, Grawen was angry.

Ritsu back-stepped towards the center of the tent, Grawen's attacks became more erratic as the fight continued, Ritsu started seeing windows to attack between his swings and she took them, this was her song now.

Grawen struck vertically, Ritsu dodged to the side and anticipating her opponent's kick, she slid under it and slashed at the back of the hobgoblin's knee.

Grawen started rampaging, there was no rhyme or reason to his attacks, only bloodlust. His attacks became incredibly faster and unpredictable, Ritsu couldn't do anything but dodge.

She led him around the tent, the hobgoblin destroying everything in its path, eventually when they reached the edges of the tent, one of the supporting beams was struck down, and something clicked inside Ritsu's head.

She continued around the rest of the tent, the storm was now a raging cyclone, tearing down everything in its wake. The structure of the tent grew weaker every swing, she finally led the hobgoblin towards the center of the tent where the main support was standing.

She ducked out of the way of what she thought would be Grawen's last swing. Wooden splinters flew out of the pillar as it gave in due to the giant sword's hit, the gigantic wooden stake was brought down, Ritsu managed to dodge the wooden debris that rained from the sky as the tent came crashing down on both of them.

* * *

 **-Last Verse-**

The fabric of the tent sliced open as Ritsu emerged from the ruins, she was certain that Grawen was still alive, it wasn't long before she saw the tall figure being birthed from the remains of the tent.

He let out a beastly growl towards the night sky, wooden beams had pierced his chest and his stomach, Grawen's eyes looked red in the moonlight and as soon as they met the rogue's figure, he started dashing towards her.

The rogue tried blocking the head on assault with both of her swords, but she was overwhelmed by this enraged stampede of his, the hobgoblin slashed wildly with its claw, she parried obliquely and as it the metal blades slid off of each other Ritsu cleaved the side of Grawen's body,he didn't seem to react all. As her sword struck, he grabbed her arm and twisted it forcing the rogue to drop her weapon, Grawen head-butted Ritsu and pinned her to the ground.

She felt as the cold steel from the hobgoblin's claws slid into the side of her torso and out the back, the blades dug into the fabric and ground beneath them, Grawen tossed the rogue's weapon aside and and struck her face with his bloodied fist, again, and again.

Ritsu felt dazed after each strike, trying to reach for her sword which seemed further and further away with each moment, each strike pushing her consciousness away from her. She closed her eyes and saw Mio's figure, her silver eyes shimmering slightly under the light of the sun, her slender legs started moving as she walked away from her, Ritsu wanted to follow but she was just... So tired.

Mio turned around and said something, but Ritsu couldn't the elf's voice, that melodious voice of hers that always brightened her day. The raven-haired girl started looking more and more desperate with each word she uttered.

"Why are you crying" Ritsu thought to herself. She couldn't stand watching Mio being sad.

She tried her hardest to read her lips. Mio's face contorted into pure agony, her speaking became shouting

"Rit-su"

" **Ritsu!** "

She was brought back to reality by that voice, an arrow flew into Grawen's back making him stop the brutal beat-down he was laying on the rogue.

The ranger sprinted towards the two of them, she climbed onto the hobgoblin's back and started strangling him with her bow, Grawen pulled his claw out of the ground and tried to swat the elf off of his back.

Now that Ritsu was free to move, she gathered all the strength that remained in her and stood up, her sword wasn't nearly as far away as before, the end to this fight which seemed to have been in Grawen's hands was now in her reach. She stumbled slowly towards this berserking beast that was bucking like a mad bull.

Grawen finally managed to throw Mio off of him, searching frantically for the rogue, his eyes widened as he felt the cold steel pierce his heart. He gripped the girl's head in his hand, Ritsu cried out in pain and desperation as she twisted the blade more and more into Grawen's chest, he tried to lift Ritsu off of the ground, but his strength failed him, he finally collapsed onto his knees, a soft laugh emanated from him which died down as he let out his last breath.

Ritsu stumbled back and let out a sigh of relief, her vision was fading in and out. Before she realized it she was laying among the debris of the collapsed tent, she faintly heard Mio shouting her name and the sound of her hurried footsteps as she ran towards her. she slowly closed her eyes and lost consciousness.

* * *

 **-Crescent Moon Epilogue-**

When she came to, she was staring up at Mio's face, Ritsu noticed the clear streaks that ran down her cheeks.

"Are you an angel?" Ritsu spoke in a half-asleep manner.

"Ritsu!" a wave of relief washed over the elf as she heard her friend's voice again, "Y-You idiot!"

"Guess not."

Mio wasn't amused, and Ritsu could see it in her face.

"I think I did overdo it back there" she sighed "but at least we got the job done…"

"You think!?" Mio exclaimed "If I hadn't come back when I did you would've…"

She couldn't finish her sentence, the last words clung to her throat forming a lump which sunk down to her stomach like a rock, she burst into tears.

"Mio…"

Ritsu moved her hand up to Mio's face and softly caressed her cheek, wiping away her tears.

"You should know I would never lose against a guy like that"

"I know you wouldn't, but I..."

"You're here now. It's over, Mio"

Mio placed her hand over Ritsu's and held it tight, she didn't have it in her to keep arguing, this tender moment was interrupted by the elf's train of thought.

"Right, your wounds!" she wiped her tears from her face and motioned Ritsu to sit up.

Ritsu's body was sore, the effect from the herbs had long passed. She pressed her hand against the side of her torso checking for broken ribs, but surprisingly they were intact.

"I must've looked bad if you're the one playing doctor."

Mio smiled.

"I tried to fix what I could, but the healing magic I know can only do so much."

Ritsu checked the spot where she had been pinned by the hobgoblin's claws, there was nothing but a flesh wound there.

"Well it's enough so that I'm not full of holes anymore."

"I'm going to need to bandage you up," Mio spoke while opening her bag.

Ritsu began undoing the straps on her leather armor, she turned her head and noticed Mio was purposefully avoiding looking at her, Ritsu smirked.

"You're the one that's embarrassed? I'm the one who has to take her top off."

Mio's cheeks flushed a deep shade of red

"I uh, I thought you would like some type of privacy"

Ritsu continued removing her armor "Come on! Why would I be ashamed in front of you?"

Mio turned her head towards Ritsu.

The blue hue of the moonlight illuminated the tawny haired girl's figure, her back and shoulders were slight, but muscular. Mio didn't see Ritsu without her armor often, it was something she associated with the image she so seeing her like this gave her a weird sense of wonder.

Her eyes explored the topography of her back, numerous scars covered her body like landmarks on a map, Mio couldn't help asking.

"These scars…" Mio started speaking.

"Hmm? What about 'em?" Ritsu asked nonchalantly.

The elf started running her fingers through the scars, tracing each one of them, behind them the tales of the adventures that Ritus had lived.

"You know you could probably go to a healing clinic and get these healed completely."

"I know that… but I don't really want to."

Mio tilted her head in confusion.

"Why not?" Mio questioned "Is it some kind of machismo thing?"

They both chuckled. "I guess it is a little bit."

The usual energy that Ritsu always had was still present in her voice, but her tone was different "These scars are part of who I am now."

The tawny haired girl hugged her knees to her chest.

"Whenever I think of the times I got some of these scars, I vaguely remember how I felt every time, I wasn't scared at all. I thought death was just part of what I did for a living, "

She stared up at the night sky, absentmindedly following the clouds that floated across the moon.

"That was until a couple of years ago. I started thinking I ought to take care of myself better"

Ritsu scanned the side of her body with her hands until she stopped on a large scar that looked like claw marks.

"Remember this? Our run-in with that young blue dragon while we were with Jev's corp? It pinned me to the ground and almost crushed me to death. Even though I have had close calls like more than a handful of times, it felt completely different."

She lifted her arms and let Mio roll the bandages around her waist, she put her undershirt back on and turned towards her.

"I've never felt more scared in my entire life, Mio. It was so scary thinking how I might not be able to go back to Toyosato and sit at the tavern again, I would never laugh again, I would never see you again."

Ritsu's voice trembled slightly.

"All these scars, these times I kicked and screamed and fought and won. They remind me that right now, I'm alive and able to spend my time with you, Mio. And I feel like getting rid of them would be like taking you for granted"

Her eyes glistened in the moonlight. Mio was silently looking at her, a kind smile on her lips.

"Well… Say something!" Ritsu's ears felt hot. "You know I'm not used to saying these kinds of things and I-"

Her sentence was stopped in it's tracks by Mio, who had suddenly wrapped her arms around her.

"You're an idiot, you know?" Mio spoke softly.

Ritsu smiled. "That's not very nice of you to say." she put her arms around the elf.

"But I'm happy. I'm happy that you have kicked and screamed and fought and stayed alive. I'm happy that you're my idiot"

They held each other for minutes that felt shorter than seconds, Ritsu tried to break the embrace. "Maybe we should go."

"Just a little bit longer." Mio pleaded, she wanted this moment to last forever, for it to be ripped apart from the flow of time and set aside in the banks of eternity.

"Ok" Ritsu replied, tightening her embrace. "Just a little bit longer"

Enveloped by the warm air of the night and held together by these feelings of gratitude, they were serenaded to sleep by the droning, yet peaceful song of the cicadas.

* * *

 **A/N:** Taco here! Hoping you enjoyed this first short story spawned from two of my favorite things: High Fantasy and K-On!

Though this particular installation was pretty action-heavy, the next one is looking to be pretty relaxed, Hopefully I can update at least twice a month.

In this universe, Mio and Ritsu have known each other for two years or so. Even after spending most of their time together, this is the first time Ritsu has ever opened up to Mio like this. I definitely want to let Mio explore her feelings for Ritsu more, and the reasons she might have to not pursue them (Her being an elf and all that)

Grawen and the goblins were part of something bigger (RIP), may they be one with the universe (or some shit, especially the one goblin who got punkd)

These are gonna be a series of short stories that are not really sequential, (well except for this and the next one having to do with the consequences) and are mostly self contained adventures. The rest of the keionbu will be introduced as the story progresses.

Well that's enough rambling for now, thanks for reading and be sure to leave a review if you have anything to say (I really need help writing, lol), and I hope you can continue reading these for as long as I keep writing them.


	2. Sending out an SOS

**Sending Out an S.O.S.**

* * *

...And I'm standing right there, in this dirty sewer, holding this huge bag filled with gems. I ask not as the Ritsu you know and love that's sitting right here before you, but as this guy's partner in crime, I look him right in his eyes and I say:

"Okay kid, tell me, right now, from the very pits of your empty, deserted heart; as if the very gods were listening to you right now, because they are. Where did we steal this from?".

And I know I should've asked before I even accepted to be a part of the operation, but the whole thing was planned by Jordan, and I had no reason to doubt him at all, until then. I asked him again, since it seemed like he conveniently didn't hear me.

"What's above us isn't a bank or a warehouse, but I still only made it out by the skin of my teeth. Where did we just steal this from?"

He was shaking in his boots, looking back on it I kinda feel bad for him; but then again, he was completely ignoring me. So I grabbed him by the neck of his stupid linen shirt, and looking like he was gonna cry, he spilled the beans:

"It- it's the gems that the royal family donated for the charity event that happened a couple of days ago." Kid got on his knees "I'm so sorry Lady Ritsu! They told me not to tell you what it was but you're so cool and intimidating and extremely beautiful! Please let's return with the gems!"

I was in awe! I couldn't believe we were stealing what basically was the lives of a bunch of orphans, I was offended, disgusted even!

"I'm not taking this" I said. "I refuse to take any of this and so should you, I'm going back in there and putting the rocks back in their place."

"No you can't do that!" I'm pretty sure he was crying by now. "We need to take them back to the hideout! That's what we were told to do! Maybe you won't be punished because you're so cool and everyone loves you, but they're gonna take it out on me!"

Now I'm not completely cold hearted, I felt bad for the kid and if he were to return empty handed, they would definitely kick his ass, or worse. After considering things for a minute, I told him:

"Here, then" I threw him the bag with the gems "Do whatever you want, I'm not taking part in this."

I jumped into the sewer water and started taking my leave. He asked where I was going, I told him I was gonna give Jordan a piece of my mind.

And then I just walked away, I knew Jordan wasn't at the hideout at the moment, but I knew where to meet him. I guess it was lucky I went that way because that poor kid got ambushed by the city guard as he was making his way back.

* * *

"You made the right call, Ritsu." a slender man with silver hair and pointed ears reassured the rogue. "I think most people sitting on this table would've done the same thing."

"Well, depends on who you ask." A bald man with a strong accent and an even stronger build clad in plate armor pointed at a halfling who was sitting at the end of the table, sharpening a knife. Everyone turned to look at her.

"What? Why are all of you looking at me? Even I have principles!" She turned her nose in indignation.

Everyone on the table raised their eyebrows at her, after a short silence she gave in.

"How much cash are we talkin'?"

The table erupted in laughter.

Ritsu was sitting amongst a group of tough adventurer's at Old Fiergrol's tavern and inn, she was telling the story of what really happened at that robbery that took place two years past.

"Serves those pricks right for trying to drag you into something like that" A dwarf spoke with a thick accent from behind the bar.

"Thanks, Fier." Ritsu smiled at the dwarf and returned to the conversation.

"Didn't the kid rat you out?" The elf inquired.

"Apparently when he got pinned by the guard gnoll he got his throat destroyed, but I guess that's rock sniffing gnolls for you."

The rest of the tabled cringed.

Fiergrol continued cleaning some glasses, the afternoon was going relatively slow. As he was wiping one of the tankards, he saw the door to the tavern fly open.

At the door of the tavern stood a slender, tall elf with long, flowing black hair. The cold air that signalled the beginning of winter was counteracted by her aura.

Fiergrol gestured in a small motion with his head, over to the table where Ritsu was sitting and continued wiping the tankard in his hands.

The elf nodded in thanks and walked over to the table.

"...In the end, Jordan couldn't really justify what he did, and couldn't stop me from leaving. Though, what I'll never understand is-"

Her sentence was stopped in its tracks by Mio, who yanked the collar of her shirt and started dragging her out of the tavern.

"Wha- Mio! What's going on!"

"We need to talk about something."

Mio's tone was different, it wasn't the usual stern front she put up, there was an underlying concern in her words. Ritsu wondered what on earth she needed to talk about so badly.

"Can't we talk about it at the tavern?" Ritsu bargained as she was still being dragged on her feet by the elf.

"There's something for you at the guild."

Ritsu tossed Fiergrol a couple of silver coins before turning on her heel and following Mio out of the tavern, the dwarf caught them and nodded to her wishing her good luck.

* * *

 **-Old Acquaintances-**

The walk to the guild hall was silent, Ritsu used the time to think about what could have put Mio in a mood like this.

"I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything awful as of late, well, at least not something that would catch the guild's attention"

They followed the main street that lead to the guild hall, the traffic was the same as any other afternoon at Toyosato, merchants, adventurers, the occasional wagon, nothing seemed to indicate towards an emergency situation, Ritsu was relieved.

"So, If it isn't something I did, and there's no big panic around the guild, then is it something Mio did? No, she said there was something waiting for _**me**_. If it was something she could carry then she would've probably brought it to Fier's, so it's either something big or something that a guild official has to tell me personally."

The banner of the Toyosato Adventurer's Guild hung proudly on the big stone walls of the hall. The girls made their way inside.

The guild hall looked like a mess hall would, a big open space with tables for eating with a bar on the far right where adventurers could order food and drink, the walls and floors were constructed out of stone bricks, and chandeliers hung down from the vaulted ceilings. On the far wall there was a small hallway that lead to the administrative area and a giant notice board hung from it, on it were dozens upon dozens of notes posted by city officials, people who needed help, or other adventurers who were seeking assistance.

Mio and Ritsu walked over to the reception desks on the left side of the hall, opposite to the tables. A thin, redheaded girl was waiting behind one of them.

"Hey Megumi."

"Hey Ritsu, Miss Akiyama." The girl behind the desk greeted them both with a smile. "You brought her here quickly."

"I'm so sorry about that, Megumi. Now, If you would."

"Of course!" She fished a paper from the files she had on her desk and handed it to Ritsu. It was a help notice like several others on the board, it had the city's official crest stamped on top. The notice read the following:

The city administration of Toyosato offers a reward to those who are brave enough to help us retake the village of Toriko from a group of goblins that have invaded the hamlet and driven the residents away. Ask guild representatives for more information. Reward: 2000 Gold pieces

"2000 gold pieces, sure. But what's up with the urgency and the silent treatment?"

Mio prompted Megumi to continue.

"The hamlet has been taken over by a group of around 30 or 40 goblins, lead by three hobgoblins."

"That still doesn't tell me anything, Mio." Ritsu responded, visibly frustrated.

"One of the hobgoblins had a message." The elf revealed. "Megumi, If you could…"

The redhead nodded.

"When they drove the villagers away, one of the hobgoblins grabbed one of the peace keepers and told him this: Give whoever killed Grawen my thanks, because now we can stop all the pussyfooting and just take over this shithole like we wanted to from the start."

 _Grawen_.

The name hit Ritsu like a splash of cold water, followed by a sinking feeling in her chest when she started realizing what this message meant.

 _This happened because Grawen is dead._

 _This happened because I killed Grawen._

 _Because I had to go and be a hero._

 _People are suffering because I had to stick my head where I didn't have to._

 _This is my fault._

"So that's what they said, huh?" She sighed.

She turned around and leaned back on the desk, guilt clouded her racing thoughts, making it so she couldn't see past her self-imposed blame. Vacantly staring at the vaulted ceilings, Ritsu let out a sigh.

Mio kept her eyes on the tawny eyed girl, thinking about what to say next. But before she had the chance to, Ritsu faced forwards and with a slight slap on her cheeks, brought some of her determination back.

"Alright then, Megumi! Sign us up right now!" she exclaimed in a powerful stance and pointing at the redhead girl behind the desk.

Mio was relieved when she saw the rogue come back to her usual self. But now she had to play her part.

Ritsu's determination was cut short by a swift smack on the back of her head.

"Hold it right there." Mio said in a stern voice. "Can you tell her what the official guild requirements are, Megumi?"

"Certainly, Miss Akiyama!" She fished a piece of paper out of a cabinet in her desk, and after clearing her throat she began reading it out loud.

 _As a preventative measure, and to ensure the success of this task, the Toyosato adventurer's guild will only give support to those who:_

 _Arrive in a group of four or larger._

 _Have a dedicated healer._

 _Are in good standing with the Toyosato adventurer's guild._

 _Due to the scale of this operation, the Toyosato adventurer's guild will provide those who decide to help with backup from the ranks of the castle guard, and up to 500 gp worth of materials and equipment. Though members can decide to circumvent this and report the task as noreg (No Registration) it is highly discouraged as the guild will not take responsibility for any loss attributed to this situation._

Ritsu stood there in frustration. She always thought that the guild was too strict with their requirements

"Well, can't you just, Y'know-"

"Absolutely not." Mio interrupted her abruptly "Megumi already does you too many favors as it is, and I wouldn't forgive you if she got in trouble for being this lenient with you."

Megumi blushed, bowing her head apologetically. She began speaking

"We've been instructed to be very strict with this task due to the delicacy of the situation. If any adventurer's lives were to be unnecessarily lost, the towns neighboring Toriko, and eventually Toyosato itself could fall into a panic."

Ritsu stood there, frustrated, wondering if this whole thing was really out of their reach.

"I'm really sorry I can't be of more help to you in this situation!" Megumi apologised profusely.

"D-don't worry Megu! I should be the one apologizing for being such a pain up to now!"

Ritsu bowed deeply and continued.

"I am sorry for any trouble that I've caused!"

She bowed again.

"And I'm sorry in advance for the trouble I'll cause in the future!"

Mio hit her on the back of the head again.

"You're supposed to say you won't cause any more trouble!"

Ritsu rubbed the back of her head in pain.

"Well I don't wanna lie to her!"

"It's not a lie if you actually stop!"

"Mio, We both know I'm never going to stop."

"I'm going to make you stop."

"CAN'T STOP."

"Ritsu!"

"WON'T STOP." The rogue threw her hands up in the air.

"STOP IT."

Mio grabbed Ritsu by the collar of her shirt and pulled her closer, Ritsu, however, was not stopping

"I DON'T KNOW HOW TO STOP."

This only stopped when they heard a soft laugh coming from behind the desk. Ritsu smiled, while Mio blushed upon realizing how close her face was to her friend's.

Mio let go of the rogue, backing away slightly.

"Take that smile off your face you dummy, we have things to do."

"I thought you were going to make me stop." Responded Ritsu with a smug look.

"Shut up." The elf muttered.

"What? I couldn't hear you." Ritsu asked again.

"Shut up!" Mio repeated herself.

Megumi interrupted the pair with an offer.

"I'm afraid I can't help you by ignoring the requirements, although there is one way I can help."

* * *

 **-A Simple Favor-**

"At the entrance of the hall?" Mio asked.

"Yes, usually it's reserved for high priority official statements or posters who pay an extra fee, but I can arrange it so you can have a notice there this week."

"This week, huh… Hey Ritsu! pay attention!"

"I am! I am!"

Ritsu wasn't paying attention. She was busy scanning the room for potential party members.

"If you could do us this favor, please!" Mio bowed as she made her plea, Ritsu started sneaking towards the tables.

"Just hand me two copies of the notice before the end of the day, I'll make sure you have a spot secured at the priority board."

Mio smiled "Thank you so much, Megumi!" She took the girl's hands and shook them vigorously

"Ritsu! Thank Meg- Ritsu?"

Ritsu was gone, Mio turned around and spotted her sneaking through the hall towards a pair of adventurers who were sharing a meal.

"The food here isn't that great, is it?" A young cleric asked cheerfully to her party mate.

"It's really not." The paladin smiled. "But at least it's free."

"The food you pay for is really good." Ritsu added, nonchalantly.

Neither of them noticed when she arrived, her head was sticking from under the table they were sitting on. They both jumped upon seeing her.

"The mead is still good though." She took a swig from the paladin's drink.

"Say, wouldn't the two of you be interested in a very **lucrative** proposal?"

The paladin slowly took his drink back and asked cheerfully.

"And who might you be, young lass?"

"Me? Well…" She slid from under the table and jumped on top, striking a pose and proclaiming vigorously:

"I am the one and only Ritsu Tainaka! The fastest, coolest, and most beautiful rogue this side of the Kazegawa river."

She back flipped off the table and in a small puff of smoke, she vanished. She reappeared on the other side of the table. The cleric was in awe, the paladin laughed heartily.

"You might not have heard of me because you never hear about the greatest rogues until it's too-"

She felt as she was swept from her feet and face planted onto the table with a loud thud before sliding to the ground.

"She's also the one with the loudest mouth this side of the Kazegawa." Mio spoke to herself.

Mio had swept her off by one of her feet, she turned to the two who were sitting at the table.

"Oh my, is she ok?" The cleric asked concernedly.

Mio's back suddenly straightened upon hearing these words, she looked nervously towards the table and smiled awkwardly.

"I uh, yes! Yes, don't worry about her" she laughed nervously and fumbled her way through an apology.

"Don't worry about it." spoke the cleric "No harm done."

"But I apologize in return, we are not able to join you currently as we have matters to attend to ourselves" The paladin said, gesturing to the table.

"We are meeting with the rest of our party at the southern exit, and we will be gone for a couple of weeks."

The cleric chimed in.

"If you're still looking for help then, we'll help you gladly!"

"Thank you very much!" Mio bowed, and picked Ritsu up by her collar.

"Please don't hesitate to approach us if you ever need help." She said as she put Ritsu's arm around her shoulder and dragged her away to one of the tables on the other side of the hall.

"I swear I don't know what goes through your head sometimes" She whispered to the unconscious rogue.

Mio sat Ritsu down on the bench and went back to the desk to ask for paper and pen, and sat down next to the tawny-haired girl, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

Her stare lingered on the slumbering rogue's face for a moment, she smiled and with a pen in her left hand, she started writing the notice.

* * *

The first sunlight flooded the guild hall, the streaks of yellow light slowly made their way to the table on which there were two sleeping figures sharing a blanket, bathing them in their golden glow.

As if revitalized by the morning sun, Mio slowly opened her eyes.

Her sleepy gaze was met with Ritsu's wide eye stare, her face turned a slight shade of red.

"Good morning." Muttered Mio, still half asleep.

"Guh-" Ritsu choked out, her face went from slightly pink to a bright red, she shot up in her seat and turned around.

"Good morning." She responded.

Mio slowly rose from the table, a red imprint from it still on her cheek. She stretched her whole body, arching her back and raising her arms over her head.

"How long have you been awake?" She half yawned, asking Ritsu.

"Oh you know, like thirty or forty minutes"

Mio slowly put two and two together, and started blushing aswell.

"Wh-what time is it?" she stuttered.

The guild hall was empty, one of the desk windows was open but there was nobody there at the moment

"Well if I had to guess, around eight in the morning" responded Ritsu.

"People should start coming in soon"

Silence filled the hall, the mood surrounding it is the type you could cut with a knife.

"Well! uhh-" Ritsu stammered, while getting up from the bench "I'm gonna go return this"

She bent down and picked up a blanket that was on the floor behind them, then headed towards the desks.

Mio straightened up on her seat and waited for Ritsu to come back, watching the hall entrance expectantly. She knew Megumi had posted the notice on the entrance board, so they only had to wait for people to start coming in.

Ritsu returned from the desks after leaving the blanket with Megumi, who was now there. The redhead waved at Mio, she waved back. Ritsu plopped down on the bench.

"Megumi told me about the notice" she said as she sat down.

"Yeah, I turned it in last night."

Ritsu's stomach growled.

"I guess I did miss supper last night, do you want anything?"

"I'm good for now" Mio responded

"Alright" Ritsu got up from the bench and started walking towards the bar, Mio called out to her.

"Actually-" Ritsu stopped and turned on her heel. "Mead sounds good"

"Gotcha!" Ritsu continued on her way, and Mio returned to her vacant stare at the Hall entrance.

Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

 **-First Light-**

Looking up to the great pillars of the Toyosato Adventurer's Guild hall, stood a girl clad in armor, in awe from the very sight.

The banners hung down from the sides of the building, proudly wearing the royal crest and the colors of the city: White and gold, tinted orange by the dusk.

No longer being able to deal with the feeling of anticipation, the blonde warrior entered the guild hall.

It was the first time she had ever entered a place like this, the vibrant colors of the banners on the pillars, the loud voices of adventurers having all kinds of conversations: Strategy meetings, epic recountings of past battles, even the small talk gave the young lass a feeling of unparalleled joy.

A place like this only existed in her favorite story books until now, this was like walking straight into a dream. She looked around and saw four desks lined up neatly on the far right side of the hall, she approached the one that had been occupied until now.

"Umm, excuse me." she inquired in a soft tone.

"Hi! How can I help you?" Megumi replied cheerily.

"I just arrived at this city, and wanted to join the adventurer's guild"

"Then I'll guide you through the registration process! It'll only take a bit. What's your name?"

She continued taking the girl's information, while on the other side of the room, Mio and Ritsu were discussing a very important matter.

"Capes serve literally no purpose" Mio stated

"Wrong" Ritsu responded "They look really, **really** badass"

"Why not just wear a cloak then, it fits the image of a rogue way better"

"It's not the same though!"

"Why?"

"It's-" Ritsu made several gestures with her hands, her point didn't get across at all "It's just like that, y'know"

"No, I don't"

Ritsu groaned, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Besides, I know plenty a cape-wearing rogues"

"Like who?"

"You wouldn't know them"

"Exactly, because I wouldn't guess they were a rogue"

"I don't think we have the same image of a rogue in our heads"

"Definitely not" This statement ended the conversation, none of them looking satisfied with the result.

Mio tried picturing Ritsu wearing a cape, the image she conjured up on her mind was of a bright red and black mantle, similar to a jester's. The thought of the rogue juggling knives while in full clown attire made the elf chuckle.

"What is it?" Ritsu asked.

"Nothing" Mio responded, stifling her laughter.

She rested her head on the heel of her hand and looked off towards the hall. She focused her attention on the girl Megumi was attending, she unconsciously verbalized while deep in thought.

"Hmm"

"What is it?" Ritsu inquired.

"You see that girl over there?" Mio pointed slightly with a nod.

Ritsu spun around in her seat and leaned back onto the table.

"Which one?"

"The one talking with Megumi"

"Ooh, she's pretty"

"If you were to assign that girl a class, where would you put her?"

Ritsu examined the girl and thought about it for about a second.

"I'd say paladin"

"That's what I thought at first, but take another look"

Ritsu looked a second time, this time trying to see what Mio was talking about.

The girl's long blonde hair was styled in a ponytail, there was a certain foreign charm to her beauty, it reminded Ritsu of those in the northern territories. A kind face with round blue eyes, adorned with big, populated eyebrows.

She donned a plate armor, Ritsu couldn't say for sure but she thought it to be steel, coated with a silver that gave it a shining white look.

A broad kite shield was on her back, an image of a hummingbird etched in bright gold. Combined with the gold detail on her armor, it made quite an impact.

"I still say paladin" Ritsu spoke while turning around again on her seat.

"She'd no doubt get classed as a fighter."

"I'd bet 50 gold pieces she's a paladin"

"Do you really wanna bet?"

"I said I would, not that we'd ever get to find out"

"She's coming over here right now"

"She's what?"

"Excuse me…" A soft voice spoke from behind Ritsu.

Ritsu tensed up slightly on her seat. She turned around swiftly.

"Heeeeyyy!"

"Could it be that you're currently looking for party members?"

"Not right now, th-" She was interrupted by a swift kick to her lower back.

"YES! Yes! We are" Mio tried to stand up and ended hit her legs on the table, she slowly trudged through the pain to where the girl was standing.

"Ah! You see, I was wondering if I could join your group"

"Yes! You can join us!"

"Are you- Are you sure? I just recently joined the guild and don't have much experience-"

"Don't worry about it! Really! We'll be glad to be fighting alongside you."

Mio smiled and extended her hand towards her.

"My name's Mio, this klutz over here is Ritsu" she nodded over to Ritsu, who was doubling over in pain

"Tsumugi Kotobuki" The blonde girl said assertively. "A pleasure to meet both of you"

They both sat down at the table, Mio went to the opposite side while Mugi took the seat next to Ritsu.

"What pointed you this way, Tsumugi?"

She pointed over to the desk Megumi was attending.

"The lady over there said you two were looking for help"

Ritsu regained her composure, still straining from the pain on her left kidney.

 _I'm gonna have to make it up to Megumi someday_

The tawny haired girl looked over to the desk and gave Megumi a thumbs up, she wasn't sure the girl saw it.

"Anyways, I haven't introduced myself properly"

Ritsu extended her hand towards Mugi, a huge grin on her face

"The name's Ritsu, pleasure to meet you, Mugi"

Mugi's eyes widened as she heard this, followed by an even wider smile. She shook Ritsu's hand.

"Oh my! This is the first time I've been given a nickname"

"Wait, really?" Ritsu said in a mix of surprise and nervousness "Should- should I not call you that?"

"No, please! You can call me however you like!"

"I wouldn't give Ritsu that much leeway" Mio interjected.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means exactly what it means"

"Well however you like might be an exaggeration, how about we stick with Mugi?" Ritsu asked their new friend.

"Yes, Mugi is fine" The blonde girl responded with a smile.

"Well then! How long have you been part of the guild?" Mio asked.

"I joined just now!"

"Wha- Really?" Ritsu asked, befuddled. "You were part of a guild somewhere else, though, right?"

"I'm afraid not, I have very little field experience"

"You don't mean that…"

"This would be my first quest, yes"

Ritsu shot Mio a discreet look, as if to say "Are you sure about this?" Mio responded with a similar look "Yes, stop worrying about it"

"Well everyone has to start somewhere, If you have any questions about the guild then let us know"

"I'll do my best not to bother you too much" Mugi spoke shyly.

"Don't worry about it!" Ritsu tried reassuring the blonde warrior. "We're all part of the same team now"

Mugi's smile cleared any doubts left in the other two girls.

"Let's have a great adventure together"

"Alright!" Ritsu shouted from the top of her lungs standing up on the table.

" **DRINKS FOR EV** -" She was interrupted by Mio pulling her down by the collar of her undershirt.

"Drinks for the three of us" She muttered grumpily, sitting down.

Mio's expression went from stern back to cheerful.

"I'll go get them then" She said as she stood up "Is mead or ale fine?"

"We're celebrating woman!" Ritsu exclaimed as she pounded her fist on the table.

"Bring a bottle of the expensive stuff!"

"Yeah!" Mugi joined in.

Mugi and Ritsu shared a high five.

They celebrated the night away, drinking and eating and talking and laughing, evening after evening, until the end of the week.

As if it were the cumulative hangover of those nights, a realization hit Mio and Ritsu hard and heavy.

* * *

 **-Last Call-**

"It's the end of the week..." Mio drearily spoke, laying her head on the table.

"And we didn't get any other applicants" Ritsu finished the sentence, she was laying on the table as if it were a bed.

"Ritsu get off the table"

"I don't wanna"

Mio slowly moved her hand towards Ritsu's head in an effort to hit her, but it ended as a very soft head pat.

"Ow" Ritsu responded, unenthused.

"Um…" Mugi interrupted the two.

"What happens at the end of the week? If I may ask" The blonde girl inquired.

Mio lifted her head from the table and responded.

"Oh" She realized they hadn't explained the situation properly to their new partner.

"Right now Megumi is holding the quest notice from the public as a favor, so that we can have first dibs on it"

She continued explaining while softly petting Ritsu's head.

"Ritsu believes that the whole situation happened because of a quest the both of us carried through half a year ago, so she wants to help make things right"

She moved her hand away from Ritsu's head, but the girl laying on the table pulled it back towards her. Mio smiled and continued.

"When the notice is available for the rest of the guild, it'll probably get picked up immediately by another group, and since people don't wanna thin out the reward, it'll be hard for us to join their party"

"We even had our own notice at the entrance board and everything!" Ritsu complained.

"I can't believe we didn't get a single person aside from Mugi" She put her hand on the shoulder of the blonde girl sitting next to her.

"Thanks so much for sticking with us this whole week" She exclaimed with deep gratitude.

"If you want to look for another group then we understand" She held back fake tears.

Mugi smiled.

"Actually, I'd love to stay with you two even if we don't get a fourth party member. If that's okay with you, that is"

Ritsu lifted her head, this time the tears weren't fake.

"REALLY?!"

Ritsu slid down from the table and next to Mugi, and put her arm around her.

"WE NEED TO CELEBRATE! DRINKS FOR-" She stopped when she felt a cold stare coming from across the table.

"Later, drinks for later" Ritsu muttered.

Mio turned to look at Mugi.

"Of course you can stay with us, Mugi" She smiled warmly and then continued to sulk.

"Though I'm sorry that we might not be able to take this quest, Ritsu"

"Mio, I feel like you're worrying about it more than I am. It really doesn't bother me that someone other than me cleans up my mess"

The bitter lie left Ritsu's lips and was begrudgingly accepted by both of her friends, if she was ready to at least pretend to let this go, they would respect her will.

"Excuse me"

The two girls who were standing at the end of the table looked expectant, inquisitive; much like how Mugi looked when she approached them at the start of the week. Seeing this, both Ritsu and Mio stopped moping and put on their best faces.

"h **EY**!" Ritsu squeaked out, her voice slightly cracking.

The girl that had spoken earlier let out a small chuckle, and continued her inquiry.

"We were sent this way from the desk over there, we just joined the-"

"YES!" Ritsu interrupted the brunette, Mio shot a look at her.

"Ah! That's great! Yui!" She turned to speak to the girl who was behind her, but she was no longer there.

She saw her on the other side of the room, where a ranger and his pet had just entered the hall. Yui was petting the hound who was belly-up on the ground wagging it's tail.

"Excuse me for a second" The brunette smiled, and headed towards the girl who was intent on petting the animal.

"Yui!" she called out as she was running towards her.

"Ui! Come pet this dog! It's sooooo fluffy!" She exclaimed, brimming with excitement.

"We don't have time for this right now, sis!" Ui responded, slightly exasperated.

"Come on! Just a little bit!"

Ui gave into her sister's request and started petting the hound.

"Ah! He's so soft!" Exclaimed the girl in the white robes, no longer able to contain her smile.

"Right?!"

Much to the hound's delight, they both continued rubbing its belly and petting its head, the ranger could only stand there and smile until they were done.

Back at the table the three girls were also doing the same, Mio and Ritsu thought about who they just allowed into the party, Mugi wanted to head over there and pet the dog.

"I'm… Not so sure about this anymore, Mio"

"Beggars can't be choosers" The elf responded.

Several minutes and belly rubs later, introductions and apologies were being held at the table.

"I'm sorry about that, my sister can get distracted sometimes"

Yui let out a soft laugh and rubbed the back of her head.

 _You gave into it too, though_

The thought crossed Ritsu's mind but she didn't say it out loud.

"Don't worry about it" is what she said instead. "It's a pretty cute dog, right Mugi?"

Mugi was just returning from petting the dog, with the biggest smile on her face any of the girls had ever seen.

"I caught your younger sister's name, but I don't think I heard yours" Mio continued.

"Oh!" Yui suddenly exclaimed. "My name is Yui, and this is my little sister Ui"

"You're the older sister?!" Mio said out loud, promptly covering her mouth with her hand.

None of the girls could hide their shock.

"I get told that a lot" Yui chuckled.

"So you're adventuring sisters?" Mugi asked, taking a seat at the table.

The rest of the girls followed suit, Yui's eyes lit up.

"Ohh! Like the legendary Lahani sisters"

"The elf twins who often traded places to confuse their foes" Mugi continued.

"I want to write a song about them in the battle of the Mandrasil, where Lina scaled the tree while Saya fended of the imp swarm at the base"

"That's my favorite story about them!" Mugi commented excitedly.

"Mine too!" Yui responded. They continued talking about the feats of the elf sisters while Ui talked to Mio and Ritsu.

"Thank you for allowing us to aid you in this opportunity" the cleric spoke, slightly bowing her head.

"There's no need to be so formal, we're partners now" Ritsu said with a grin.

Ui responded with a warm smile.

"My name's Mio" she introduced herself "This is Ritsu and this is Mugi"

"Nice to meet you all" responded Yui.

"We read the notice out front and then that girl over there sent us this way"

 _Thanks, Megumi_ Mio thought, looking over to the desk where she was helping another adventurer.

Ritsu proceeded to explain the situation to both of them, Yui nodded excitedly during the whole thing.

"Just one question, though" Ritsu added.

"Do either of you know healing magic?"

"Yes" answered Ui "I'm a cleric of the church of Milil, I promise to heal your wounds whenever it's needed"

"I know a couple of healing spells!" said Yui "Though I'm nowhere near as good as Ui"

"It's settled then! We depart for Toriko tomorrow at dawn!"

"Ahhh! Ui! I'm so excited!" Yui said nervously. Ui smiled back at her.

"For now, let's celebrate! I'll go get us some drinks" Ritsu exclaimed as she was leaving the table, only to be pulled back by her belt. She turned on her heel and started heading to the desk.

"Right after I fill the paperwork"

As soon as she left, Mugi also got up from the table.

"I'll go get the drinks then" she said enthusiastically.

The girls remaining at the table nodded, and continued talking.

"Mugi looks excited" commented Yui, seeing how the girl in armor strolled happily towards the bar.

"I think it might be the first time she orders at a bar" responded Mio.

"This week has been full of first times for a lot of us" the elf whispered to herself, wistful, almost as if she didn't realize she just said that out loud.

Yui didn't know all the details, but she understood and smiled nonetheless.

"So, you're a bard?"

"Yes! Did the lute give it away?" Yui giggled and took the instrument that hung from her shoulder by a strap.

The tear-shaped wooden face was carved with intricate floral patterns, the center hole shaped as a flower blossom standing out the most, its light color coupled with the clear matte varnish made it look quite slick. The short, fretted neck was darker and lined with more than a dozen strings that varied in thickness, and it abruptly bent back at a right angle where eight small pegs held the strings tight.

"This is Louis"

 _You named your instrument._

Mio thought, but didn't speak.

"Would you play something right now?" she asked instead.

The brunette looked somewhat nervous, but that nervousness dissipated in an instant after seeing her sister nod in encouragement.

"Yeah!"

Yui crossed her left leg over her right one, and rested the body of the lute on her lap, while clutching the neck with her left hand. She strummed once and turned one of the pegs at the end of the neck, she strummed again, this time looking satisfied with what she heard.

She tapped the face of the lute lightly four times to set her tempo, and began plucking at the strings gently with her right hand.

Slowly.

Like droplets of rain, the notes resounded few and far between, gradually sounding faster and faster, they congregated to form the melody of a ballad.

The fingers on her left hand danced around the neck of the lute, skipping and stepping over the metal frets, simultaneously following and dictating the harmonies of the song.

Her round, brown eyes fawned over the neck of the guitar, her expression turned from sheer focus to joy as the rhythm of the song picked up. The tables neighbouring theirs had grown silent and were listening along to the tune.

And just as she was approaching what appeared to be the climax of the ballad, she stopped.

"Ah! I forgot to sing the lyrics!"

Mio was so absorbed in the song that she hadn't noticed at all, she snapped out of it and spoke.

"That was amazing!" The elf exclaimed. "Did you compose it yourself?"

The brunette giggled and blushfully responded

"Yes! It's for the song about the Lahani sisters!"

"I see! So the beginning part is setting the start of the night of the battle"

"You know the story too!"

"Lila has always been a personal heroine of sorts since I was a child" Mio responded sheepishly.

"Oh! Really? Is that why you picked up the bow and arrow?" Yui's eyes glimmered with curiosity.

"The other way around, actually. I was raised as a hunter and the stories about Lila's marksmanship made me want to get better"

"Ohhhh!" Yui exclaimed with eyes wide open

Mugi returned with a tray littered with mead tankards, she set it down on the table and passed them around to the rest of the party.

"I'm sorry for the wait!"

"Thank you, Mugi"

"Mugi!" Yui exclaimed as she took the cup into her hands "Tell me what inspired you to become an adventurer!"

"Oh my! Let me think" Mugi responded as she was sitting down.

"I guess just stories of adventure in general"

While their conversation unfolded, Mio turned to talk to Ui.

"They get along great, don't they?"

Ui nodded

"It makes me happy to see her this way, she doesn't get to talk about these things with the people at the temple"

They looked discreetly as the bard listened intently to what Mugi was saying, her enthusiasm was palpable and contagious.

"If you don't mind me asking…"

"How come I'm a cleric but Yui isn't?"

They both smiled.

"I guess you must get that question a lot"

"Kind of.." she trailed of with a gentle expression, she turned her head towards her sister.

"It's just the way she is, she was never spiritual despite being raised in a temple"

"So she's always had more affinity for music?"

"Not really, no. She didn't pick up the lute until a couple of years ago"

"Seriously?!"

"It doesn't sound like it, right?!"

"Not at all…"

She looked at her sister talk excitedly about her favorite heroes, from both history and fiction; she took some of her excitement as her own and turned back towards Mio.

"Let's hope everything goes well"

Mio nodded in response

"Let's hope" she said before a swig from her mead.

She almost choked as Ritsu plopped down onto the seat next to her, looking defeated. The rogue pulled out her wallet and proceeded to count fifty pieces of gold on the table then slid them over to Mio.

Mio smirked.

"Guild record?" she asked with the smuggest look on her face.

"Guild record" Ritsu muttered, almost laying her head on the table.

Mio unfastened her wallet from her belt and poured the gold pieces into it.

"We'll use these to pay the tab"

"Don't you think 50 gold pieces is a bit too much even if we got food and drinks for the whole group?" Ritsu scoffed.

"That's true, but it might be enough to pay for everyone's drinks"

Ritsu's eyes widened and she lifted her head.

"You mean..."

Mio smiled.

"Yes."

"Right now?"

"After we come back from Toriko"

"Promise?"

"Promise"

" **ALRIGHT!** "

She grabbed the tankard that was in front of her and lifted it towards the rest of the group.

"For tomorrow!"

Mio, Mugi, Yui and Ui did the same, and with a loud cheer they drank to the adventures the next few days would bring.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hiyo! Taco here! Hope you enjoyed the second entry of the Light Adventure Series and really, really hope you'll stick around for more!

This time around we get to meet the rest of the party. It was supposed to be the beginning of the next chapter, but it extended so much that I decided to flesh it out a bit further and keep it as a separate entry. Next chapter we go out of the city again!

I'd like to use these notes to showcase some elements from this AU, more specifically those around the girls. So, this entry I'll be talking about:

 **The Adventurer's Guild!** Instituted as a whole organization hundreds of years ago, the different adventurers guilds work as a middle ground between the government and adventurers from all around to carry out tasks of all kind. Since mercenaries were often requested all around, the kingdom decided to formalize the process, making it so instead of having to look for people to carry out their deeds, they would come to the halls designated in each city to look for work.

The Adventurer's Guild offers members food and shelter when needed, as well as replacing equipment and offering healing to their members. Think of it as insurance, though exceptions exist: In this chapter Megumi mentions the term "Noreg", this means bypassing the guild as a whole and completing a quest on their own terms. In these cases the guild cannot offer compensation other than the reward since the guild wasn't notified.

And that's the end of this little segment, hope you enjoyed.

Thank you everyone who left a review, I hope this entry reads better than the first one and I certainly hope you'll read the many stories that are yet to come!

Next chapter will be out at the end of June! Taco out.


	3. A Good Day

**A Good Day**

* * *

 **\- 6:00 A.M. -**

The morning air was as thick in the streets of Toyosato, the only sources illuminating the cobblestone thoroughfares were the magical flames of the tall-standing streetlights scattered systematically throughout the sidewalks, and a single handheld lantern at the doors of the great hall of the city's adventurer's guild.

A very cold and sleepy Tsumugi Kotobuki stood outside the hall waiting patiently, wearing a blue check scarf around her neck which hid the lower half face as she stared vacantly at the cobble streets. Her eyes wandered around the closed storefronts that were usually bustling with activity, a facet of the city she grew up in that she never got to experience before. The serene atmosphere and dim street lights caused Mugi's mind to wander.

Out from an alley a couple hundred yards away, Mio and Ritsu appeared surrounded by a dim light, and were walking towards the guild hall.

The elf wore what she usually did in the days of the winter, a long wool jacket and pants underneath fur and leather armor, winter boots and thin fingerless gloves, over which she wore ornate leather armguards. She wore a shawl on her shoulders over which you could see the string of the recurve bow that she carried on her back.

Ritsu had also gotten prepared for the colder climate, a studded leather armor over a wool shirt and pants;, a cloak crafted from some animal's fur, which hid the two curved swords that were strapped her lower back, though still couldn't hide the familiar shape of her leather spaulders.

The couple walked down the street towards the guild hall, engaged in conversation, Ritsu gestured wildly with her hands towards the sky, Mio nodded and repeated the motion, Ritsu then laughed at her.

 _Ah, they seem to be having a nice conversation_ Mugi thought, almost in a trance. She felt as if she focused really hard, she could hear what they were saying.

"Ahh! My hands are so cold!" Ritsu said while rubbing her palms together.

"I can't believe you lost your gloves again" Mio responded, somewhat annoyed.

"You say that like I lose them all the time"

"It's because you do"

"I've only lost two pairs of gloves in the three years I've known you"

"That's because I've found the other pairs for you" Mio retorted.

Ritsu pouted and turned her head away from Mio. She smirked.

"How about you help me warm up right now" She said, looking Mio directly in the eyes.

She pulled Mio's hand bringing her whole body closer, Ritsu wrapped her arms around Mio's waist and pressed her lips against the elf's neck,Mugi gasped.

Small puffs of hot air visibly emanated from the raven haired girl's mouth as her breathing quickened, she flinched as Ritsu's hands found their way into her clothes.

"Your hands are cold" she moaned, holding the rogue's head closer with her hand.

"That'll change soon enough" Ritsu whispered back.

Mio quivered upon feeling Ritsu's warm breath on her neck, she couldn't hold back anymore.

The elf pushed Ritsu back and against the door of one of the closed storefronts, and went in for a kiss. Ritsu stopped her short of their lips connecting.

"Are you sure? Right here?" the rogue whispered, feeling Mio's rapid breath on her face.

"Nobody's out here at this time" Mio responded, impatiently.

"What about Mugi?"

"Mugi?"

" **MUGI!** "

The blonde girl snapped out of it and back to reality, she saw Ritsu standing in front of her, waving her hands around. Her blush was concealed by the scarf she was wearing, she backed up slightly and greeted Ritsu.

"Good morning!" she exclaimed. Ritsu smiled back.

"Good morning! I see you're falling asleep with your eyes open"

"Well, it's very early in the morning" Mugi awkwardly laughed, and noticed that Mio was no longer next to Ritsu.

"Where did Mio go?" she asked.

"Hm? Oh, she went to the stables a couple blocks down to get the wagon"

Mugi smiled.

"Shouldn't you be the one doing that?" she asked half-jokingly.

Ritsu let out a small laugh that trailed off as her expression turned sour.

"I'm not allowed to prepare the wagon anymore" she said quietly, looking absent.

Mugi didn't question this decision from who she presumed was Mio, and continued the conversation.

"Toriko's far away from here, isn't it?"

"Around seven or eight hours on a wagon, but we're going to the town next to Toriko then walking the rest of the way there" Ritsu responded.

"It's a great place to stay, y'know, when it isn't being invaded by goblins"

Mugi smiled.

"I can only imagine" Mugi said, a vacant stare on her eyes. Ritsu couldn't help but notice something was off.

"Are you worried?" the brunette asked, the question took Mugi by surprise.

"No, uh," the girl stammered, "Well, maybe a little bit"

"About what?" Ritsu chuckled.

"I guess I'm just nervous about the whole thing" Mugi confessed.

"The whole leaving the city thing or the whole fighting thing?"

"Oh, I've left the city walls before, it's more the fighting bit I'm nervous about"

"Can you swing that sword on your back?"

"Y-yes?"

"And can you use your shield well?"

"I think so"

"Then you have nothing to worry about!" Ritsu reassured the blonde. "I believe you'll do fine out there, and if you don't, then we'll help you out!"

"I'm just worried I'll slow all of you down." Mugi moped.

"Oh, that's nonsense! We're a team now so we all have to help each other," Ritsu continued, "What you should be really worried about is what you'll do there while you're not fighting" Ritsu said mischievously.

"Really?" Mugi asked, intrigued.

"Yeah! Half the reward of missions like this is the sightseeing! You'll find out how Toriko usually is after we clean that place out"

The offer lightened the mood, Mugi smiled.

"I trust you can show me around then" the blonde said playfully.

"Of course!" Ritsu responded. "I'll show you a few spots only Mio and I know about"

"I'm looking forward to it"

Just as Mugi said this, a wagon pulled by two horses appeared down the road, the driver stopped it next to the girls and waved, Mugi and Ritsu waved back. Mio jumped out from the back and joined Ritsu and Mugi.

"Good morning!"

"Good morning, Mugi!" she responded with a smile "When we got here you were sleeping"

Mugi laughed nervously.

"Yui and Ui are already on the back. I'm just going to go into the hall and get something before we leave"

"We'll wait for you on the wagon" Mugi responded, she and Ritsu started walking towards the wagon.

"Um, give me a second, I'll be right there" Ritsu said as she stopped and turned back towards the guild hall, she ran for the entrance calling Mio's name.

Mugi got onto the wagon with a huge smile on her face.

"Mugi!" a familiar voice exclaimed as the blonde girl climbed onto the wagon.

"Good morning!" The voice belonged to Yui, who was sitting next to Ui at the far end of the wagon.

"Ah! Good morning Yui! Good morning Ui!"

"Good morning!" Ui replied.

Mugi took a seat across from the two sisters, she placed her lantern next to the one that was sitting on the floor of the wagon.

Yui was wearing her usual canvas pants and knee-high boots, but instead of her button up blouse she wore a short gambeson with a vest, topped off with a wool coat.

The biggest change was Ui, instead of her usual white gold-accented robes, she wore a suit of scale mail that shone a bright silver, covered in a tabard with a five stringed harp on it, she wore a kite shield on her back and a mace on her belt.

"You look quite striking in that suit of armor." Mugi complimented the cleric.

"Thanks!" Ui smiled "I haven't worn it in a while and was afraid it wouldn't fit well."

She shifted slightly in her seat.

"Maybe it is a little tight"

"Maybe it's time to get it refitted" Mugi commented.

"OOH! Maybe you can buy new armor with our share of the reward!" Yui suggested.

"That's a great idea, too! I know blacksmiths in town that would be more than happy to help." Mugi added.

"I'll be sure to ask you again when we return"

The wagon shook as Mio and Ritsu got on, Ritsu greeted Yui and Ui and sat down next to elf gave the signal for the wagon to start moving, and a strong shake of reins was heard with the shout of the driver.

"Whoa! Ui! I almost didn't recognize you in that armor!" Ritsu spoke.

"I was surprised too, when I saw you on the way to the guild hall" Mio added.

"It's from the missions at the temple" Ui revealed. "We used to go to contested zones a couple of years ago to aid the wounded.

"I remember that! You were gone for a few months!" Yui commented "I was so worried for you! Ui!"

The brunette latched onto her sister like a baby to it's mother, the rest of the group couldn't help but smile.

"I told you they made us wear this everyday, we almost didn't go into the actual battlefield" Ui consoled her sister, almost to no effect.

"But you did go sometimes!" Yui hugged her sister even tighter.

"Yui… I can't breathe!"

Yui didn't let go as the wagon wheels rattled against the cobble of the streets of Toyosato, they set out in the beginning of their first adventure.

* * *

 **\- 12:00 P.M. -**

 _Like a mountain: unmovable, many_

 _Like time: Unstoppable, some_

 _Undefeatable warriors are plenty_

 _But none unfuckwithable like Throm._

Yui strummed wildly on her lute as Ritsu sang about the feats of the mighty barbarian Throm, a hero from lands far away. The rattling of chainmail and metal could be heard as Mugi and Ui clapped their hands and cheered.

"One more time!" Mugi yelled, unable to contain her excitement.

Yui nodded to Ritsu and began the epic once more from the top, Ritsu started singing once more and this time Mugi joined as well. This concert had been going on for a couple of hours, since Ritsu asked Yui if she knew a certain drinking song.

Mio stared out the back of the wagon, since she didn't know the lyrics to this particular song. she watched as the trees eventually crowded the sides of the wagon and the low cut grass of the plains turned taller and denser.

She knew that entering the forest meant that the town of Hadori was only an hour away, and after that it would take them another three hours of traveling the forest on foot to reach Toriko.

The singing stopped with a sudden crack, followed by the back end of the wagon violently crashing onto the dirt path. The five girls shrieked in panic and moved towards the front end of the wagon. Two panels of wood slid open and the girls saw the driver of the wagon, slightly startled.

"Is everyone back here fine?" The man asked.

"We're fine, Jean," Ritsu responded, "What the hell happened?"

"I'm not really sure myself," Jean admitted, "But it looks like you can't leave through the back end of the wagon, so if you could please exit through this end"

The five girls exited through the front of the wagon one by one, then swiftly ran to the back to she what was going on. The back end of the wagon lay on the dirt, with both back wheels splayed outwards like a newborn fawn.

Jean crawled under the wagon from the front end and assessed the situation

"Seems like the axle broke" Jean's slightly accented voice declared.

"That seems to be the only thing, miraculously the wheels didn't explode from the impact"

"Can- Can we fix that?" Ritsu asked.

"It's snapped clean in the middle, no way to repair that" he said as he crawled from under the front of the vehicle.

Yui was preoccupied petting one of the horses, while the rest of the group decided on what to do.

"If we really can't do anything about the axle then our best bet is for someone to ride ahead on one of the horses and come back with help" Mio suggested.

"That really makes a dent in our plans, we wouldn't arrive at Hadori until after sundown" Ritsu replied.

"That's true, but we don't really have any other options right now"

"We could always just take the essential stuff from the wagon and continue there on foot"

"On foot? That's still at least two or three hours"

"Beats having to wait two or three hours to get a replacement for the wagon, on top of the time it would take to get there"

"That is true"

"What if we fixed it using magic?" Yui spoke absent-mindedly from the front of the wagon.

Mio and Ritsu stared at each other, then back at the bard.

"What do you mean?" they both said almost in unison.

"Ui! Can't you fix the ax thingy?" Yui asked her sister as she walked towards the rest of the group.

"Hmm, I could try using a mending spell on it, but I would need someone to hold the axle together" Ui responded.

"Ohh" Ritsu spoke, kind of surprised.

"It's really cramped down there" Jean commented. "Can't really move the axle pieces if they're being weighed down by the rest of the wagon"

"Um, I could try lifting the wagon" Mugi suggested.

"EH? MUGI?" Ritsu was more than surprised now.

"Are- Are you sure?" Mio asked.

Mugi assessed the situation. She walked around the cart, judging how heavy it was. She returned to the rest of the group with a smile.

"Yes! I believe I can manage" she exclaimed.

Jean looked at the wagon intently, he unconsciously scratched the stubble on his chin.

"Give me a second" the young man spoke and promptly walked into the woods.

He came back short of a minute later rolling a short log. He propped it up vertically and confirmed it stood at least at chest height.

"We can use this to hold the wagon up" he spoke.

"Ohhh! Nice thinking!" Ritsu gave a thumbs up. "This way if Mugi manages to lift it, she won't have to hold it for too long"

Mio let out a sigh, and stared at the ground intently, thinking the situation through..

"Alright, let's give it a try" She spoke finally.

Mugi smiled, and walked towards the back end of the wagon.

She removed her scarf and looked down at the edge of the cart, which was slightly sunken into the dirt. She extended her arms and flexed them towards her, not satisfied with the freedom of movement she had. She removed her gauntlets and armguards, and placed them in the ground next to her.

She unclasped the sides of her breastplate and pulled it off over her head, placing it next to her gauntlets with a soft thud, then finally undid the straps on her spaulders and put them next to the rest of her armor. She stretched her arms freely across her chest, continuing with her lower back and finally her upper legs.

"Be ready to place the log under the cart" she told Jean while tying her hair up in a ponytail, Jean nodded while holding the log in his hands.

She planted her greaves firmly into the dirt, and with a straight back, she bent down at the knees to grab the handle at the end of the wagon.

Her arms situated along the outside of her calves, she closed her eyes and taking a deep breath, she accumulated the strength in her body. With a grunt, she sent all this energy down her legs and steadily drove her hips forward, maintaining tension in her arms.

The muscles in her arms visibly flexed as she lifted the wagon off the ground. When she returned to her upright position, the wagon now up to her waist, she took a step back and brought her arms midway up her chest.

"No fucking way" Ritsu exclaimed under her breath.

The whole group was dumbfounded. Even Jean who was supposed to place the log under the cart was watching in awe as the girl kept the weight up with minimal effort.

"Um, Mr. Jean" Mugi softly called to the young man.

Jean stopped being awestruck and propped the log under the wagon.

"Ok, you can let go now"

The blonde girl gently let the wagon rest on top of the log, she took a couple of steps back and let out a sigh.

"MUGI!" Yui leapt onto her and clung onto her shoulders, almost knocking her off balance.

"THAT WAS AMAZING!"

The brunette's warm presence was welcome in the cold of winter.

"Thanks, Yui" Mugi replied with a smile.

Mugi started donning her armor once more, starting with her spaulders. All the while being swarmed by the rest of the party.

"That was **AWESOME!** " Ritsu exclaimed as she ran up to Mugi.

"Can you lift Mio next?" She asked the warrior

"NO!" Mio squeaked out. "Why don't you get carried instead since you're the smallest?"

"What's the point if she's not lifting the heaviest of us?" Ritsu answered.

" **WHAT?** " Mio exclaimed furiously.

"It's a joke! A joke!" Ritsu laughed nervously " _For the most part at least_ "

" **HOW WOULD YOU KNOW HOW HEAVY I AM?** "

"You don't remember that one ni-" She was interrupted by Mio, who now had her in a chokehold.

"NEVERMIND, I'M MISREMEMBERING" Ritsu tapped Mio's arm desperately for her to release the hold.

" **YOU IDIOT!** " Mio yelled exasperated, blushing and on the verge of tears.

Yui grunted as she tried picking up Mugi's breastplate, but she only made it budge slightly even with her greatest effort.

"What is this thing made of?" She grunted again in exertion, trying her hardest to even move the thing.

"It's simple steel armor" Mugi answered and picked up the breastplate with her hand, Yui was floored.

While Mio was still scolding Ritsu and Yui bombarded Mugi with questions about things she could lift, Ui and Jean were seeing to fixing the wagon.

"Like this?" Jean held the two pieces of the wooden beam that had been split in half together, pressing them against each other.

"Yes! Now hold them steady for a little bit" Ui grabbed a small statuette of a harp that hung from her belt, and held it in both hands.

The brunette closed her eyes and hummed a melody unknown to the young man, but altogether not unfamiliar.

The soothing voice of the cleric carried her thoughts towards the aether, the culmination of this faith focused on the statuette in her hands, which started emitting a faint light. Ui opened her eyes for a second, then focused on the image of the wooden beam.

The same glow that inhabited the girl's hands was now filling the seams of the split axle, as if it were nothing but a scar on flesh, the beam that was split in half was not anymore. The light faded from Ui's hands and as if nothing happened, the wagon was functional once more.

"There, that should be as good as new" Ui spoke softly to Jean, who was slightly entranced by the display of magic before him.

Jean gave a thumbs up. "Then I'll just check if the rest of the wagon is in working order"

Ui nodded and crawled out from under the wagon, joining the rest of the group who were now sitting in a circle around a small stump, sharing what appeared to be small meat pies out of Mugi's bag. She sat down next to her sister.

"Jean said- Oh, thanks!" She took the meat pie that Yui handed her, and continued.

"Jean said that he'll check the rest of the wagon to see if there are any more problems"

She took a bite out of the crescent moon shaped pie, her eyes squeezed shut as the ground meat inside the pie burned her tongue, she juggled it around her mouth and tried to blow air on it without spitting it out.

"They're hot." spoke Ritsu with a mouthful of pie.

"Well no use telling her now," Mio scolded her. "And don't speak with your mouth full."

"Yes ma'am" She responded lazily.

"Ui! Are you ok?" Yui asked her sister.

Ui nodded. "Just burned my tongue a little bit"

"Ah! I hate when that happens" Mugi exclaimed,. "Then you can't taste the food afterwards."

"Right?! And then you have a sore tongue for the rest of the day." Ritsu added.

"Maybe if you waited a minute before eating your food, you wouldn't burn your tongue so often" Mio also added, looking straight at Ritsu.

"Huh? You're the one who always burns her tongue when eating."

"Shut up." Mio muttered, taking another bite from the meat pie.

"But these are very delicious." Ui commented, having taken another bite. "Where are they from?"

"It's a pastry shop in Toyosato, Everything there is really good!" Mugi answered after she washed down the last bite of pie with a drink from her waterskin.

"We should go there once we get back!" Yui suggested, also finishing the pastry.

Mugi nodded. "I'm acquainted with the owners, they're a lovely couple."

"Ohh, I'm all for it." Ritsu added. "I'm getting tired of bouncing in between Fier's place and the hall anyways."

"It's a plan then." Mio declared. "I'm looking forward to it already."

"You know a lot of people in town!" The bard commented.

"That's the daughter of the Kotobuki family for you." Ritsu spoke proudly.

"Oh! Mugi! Is your family famous?" Yui inquired.

"My family owns some stores in Toyosato." Mugi answered, slightly embarrassed.

"Is the pastry shop your family's as well?" Ritsu asked.

Mugi shook her head.

"The owners have been friends with my parents ever since I was little." she continued. "My family owns a couple armories and a jewelry workshop."

"Ohhhh!" Yui exclaimed. "Ui! We can get you new armor there!"

"We'd love to have your patronage." Mugi responded with a smile.

Jean waved from the wagon to call the girls' attention, Yui waved back and continued to talk.

"A friend of us at the temple knew a lot about gems at the temple, but we haven't seen her in a long time"

"Ah yes, she left the temple to study under the tutelage of a wizard." Ui remembered, "I wonder how she's doing"

"I hope she's ok, I hung out a lot with her at the temple"

"There aren't many wizards who deal with gems, so maybe the girl at our workshop knows your friend?" Mugi wondered.

"That would be crazy!" Yui exclaimed, Mugi laughed.

"You're right, that would be pretty crazy"

"I think Jean wants us to go back to the wagon." Mio commented while standing up.

"Eh?! But we just sat down to eat." Ritsu complained. "Can't we stay out here a bit longer?"

"Yeah, my legs were starting to get cramped in the wagon." Yui also complained while stretching her legs in front of her.

"We still have plenty of food, too." Mugi added, taking out a small linen bag from her backpack and placing it on the makeshift table. "Mr. Jean must be hungry as well."

Mio stopped and thought about it quickly.

 _Well, we have been on the back of a wagon for more than five hours, it's not like a small stop would make that big of a difference._

Mio saw the sweet rolls that were being passed around the table, the scent of the baked dough called to her like a siren. She let out a small sigh.

"I'm going to call Jean then." She took out her pocket watch and gave it a quick glance. "It's noon forty right now, we leave at a quarter past one."

The rest of the group cheered as Mio went and told Jean about their small pit stop, the young man nodded and after refilling the horses' feeder bags, he followed Mio to the makeshift round table where they sat down and continued to chat and stuff their mouths for the next hour.

* * *

 **\- 3:00 P.M. -**

"Okay. one, two, three."

"Rice."

"Rice."

Yui and Ritsu looked at eachother with this mix of disbelief, happiness, and excitement. The rest of the group watched as the two girls shared an energetic high five.

"Finally someone who likes rice other than Mio." the rogue exhaled dramatically.

"I thought Ui was the only one who understood my love of rice" Yui sobbed.

"It's not like I especially like rice, Ritsu" Mio responded.

"Eh? Then how come you always get three servings whenever I make rice?" Ritsu questioned her.

"Because you always make too much rice!"

Ritsu wagged her finger and clicked her tongue at the girl, then recited dramatically:

 _There is no such thing._

 _As too many cups of rice._

 _More rice is more life._

"Amen, sister!" Yui exclaimed, standing up throwing her fist in the air, almost punching a hole through the fabric covering the wagon.

"Sis, sit down or you might fall over!" Ui warned her sister.

"Don't worry, Ui! I am a master of balance!" the bard bragged while standing on one foot.

She immediately fell over when the wagon suddenly stopped, Ui checked to see if her sister wasn't hurt. Ritsu got up from her seat and went outside the wagon to see what the holdup was.

"I tell you we're here on guild business." Jean argued with a figure who stood atop the gate to Hadori.

"We haven't gotten a single word from the city." the figure perched on the gate hissed at Jean, hiding in layers of fur clothing. Drawing an arrow from the quiver in their back and nocking it on their bow, the figure demanded. "Now, tell me what's on the back of the wagon."

"Five of the most amazingly awesome warriors you've seen in your entire life." Ritsu said as she approached the front of the wagon, the stranger aimed their bow at her for a brief second.

"Ritsu?" The tone of the person standing on top of the gate changed completely.

"Is your eyesight really getting that bad?" Ritsu mocked her. "Of course it's me!"

The figure jumped down from the gate to greet the rogue. Ritsu extended her hand expecting a handshake and was met with a hug instead

"Yeah, a hug works too." She said while returning the hug.

"How did you know it was me?" the person pulled away their scarf and cloak, revealing a girl with a small mane of messy copper toned hair.

 _Who else but you would stand on top of the gate like some sort of wildcat instead of sitting at the guard post like a normal person?_ Ritsu thought, but didn't speak.

"I just had a hunch." she said while breaking the hug apart.

"I haven't seen you in half a year! Is Mio with you?" the girl asked.

"Yeah! And some new friends as well!"

"Oh?" the girl interjected.

"What?" Ritsu asked. "Is it really that weird for me to be with people other than Mio?"

"Kinda" the girl answered. "Though I guess it would be more weird if she wasn't here"

"Ritsu! What's taking so long?" Mio asked from inside the wagon.

"Just a security check!" Ritsu responded. "Can you get the gate open for us?"

"Oh! Right!" she slung the bow on her back and ran into the small wooden cabin that was attached to the giant wood walls that surrounded the forest town of Hadori. Moments later, the huge wooden gates creaked open to let the wagon inside.

"Is this how it normally is around here?" Jean asked.

"Not at all." Ritsu responded. "They must be controlling access to the town since it's serving as a refugee camp for now."

"I see."

"I'm going to tell the rest of the girls to come outside while you go to the stables."

"Sure thing!"

Ritsu went to the back of the wagon and called the rest of the group out. They left the cart and stretched their limbs, finally free from the last hour of travel. Then Ritsu led them towards the girl who had held them up just minutes before.

"Girls, This is Hinako. Hina, these are Mugi, Yui and Ui."

"Nice to meet all of you! You can call me Hina!" she scratched the back of her head.

"Likewise! I'm Mugi" the blonde girl shook Hinako's hand vigorously.

"I'm Yui! And this is my sister Ui!"

"Nice to meet you." the cleric said.

Jean shook the reins and the wagon started moving once more, making its way past the wooden gates.

"I have to go report some things to the officials in town, can you show these three around while I do that?" Ritsu asked the copper maned girl.

"Sure thing!" Hinako responded.

"Hey hey, wait!" Mio stopped Ritsu. "Why are you the one in charge all of a sudden?"

"I'm the one who did the paperwork. So that makes me the brave leader of this troop."

"I did not agree to this." the elf complained.

"Do you want to be front and center when talking to the army officials?"

Mio's head couldn't deal with the possibility of having to talk to a scary, imposing military officer. She hung her head low and muttered a quiet "N-No"

"Then, I'll be off!" she stated, "I'll find you guys later!". Ritsu quickly chased after the wagon and jumped onto the back, disappearing as they turned on a street corner.

"Is this the first time you come to Hadori? Well, except for Mio of course." Hinako asked. The three girls nodded enthusiastically.

"Well then let me show you what the place is like, follow me"

The five girls crossed the threshold of the wooden gates, walking into the dirt streets of Hadori they walked between the rows of wooden houses, storefronts, fences and trees on either side. They approached the center of the town, where a magnificent oak tree stood astoundingly tall and wide, full of lush green leaves despite the winter having set in almost completely. Yui, Ui and Mugi walked with their mouths agape, wondering if they were in a fairy tale or not.

"It's…" Mugi was at a loss for words.

"IT'S SO GREEN!" Yui finished Mugi's thought, turning to Hinako and almost grabbing her by the neck of her shirt "WHY IS IT SO GREEN?"

Hinako answered with an audible smile, "That's our great Kashi, our blessed oak tree that doesn't go bare during the winter."

The three girls' wonder was palpable, their gaze wandered around the giant tree, noticing the small walkways and houses that were wrapped around the gigantic trunk.

"Do the leaves, well, fall during the fall?" Ui asked, Hinako nodded.

"It's a beautiful time of the year, if you don't mind the mess," she chuckled, "We try to make the best of it though."

"So all of those leaves fall down!?" Yui asked.

Hinako nodded again, "I- uh, the kids around here make giant piles of leaves and dive into them during the whole season."

Yui's eyes almost seemed to glow from excitement alone, "UI! WE HAVE TO COME HERE DURING THE FALL!"

Ui smiled indulgently, "Let's hope we both remember by that time next year." The five girls continued to walk down the main path of the town towards a more open area littered with small stands where food, grain, trinkets and even simple weapons were being sold.

"We call this place Main Square," Hinako said as she turned to the group, "It's not as big as the city's, but you'll find most things you need here."

Yui stopped dead on her tracks, as if something had struck her in the head and was now leading her around by her nose, she walked between the stands until she finally found the _source_ , the place where that glorious smell was emanating from.

"Excuse me!" Yui called attention to the person behind the table, "What are these?" she asked while pointing at a giant pot filled with small little golden-brown seeds.

"These are roasted acorns! Dipped in our special honey mix before putting them on the fire! Would you like to try some?"

"Oh! Well if you don't mind…" The brunette grabbed a handful from the pot and started eating them, she rejoiced as the sweet and savory honey coating of the roasted acorns melted in her mouth, contrasted by the slight bitterness of the acorn. She continued eating the acorns without being able to stop.

"Yui! Where are you?" Her sister yelled from the crowd, having lost sight of her sister.

"I'm in heaven right now." Yui said while putting another handful of acorns in her mouth.

The rest of the group made their way to the stand where Yui was, and were similarly attracted to the giant container with acorns.

"Ah! You made it right in time for acorn season!" Hinako exclaimed as she grabbed a handful of acorns, "We end up eating a lot of acorns after fall because we end up with so many."

"So," the man behind the counter asked, "Buy a bag, won't ya?"

"How much is a bag?" Yui asked immediately.

"5 silver pieces," the man answered

"I'll take two!" Yui slammed ten small silver coins onto the table, which the man took gladly.

"Coming right up!" He said as he walked into the small cabin.

"Ah! It's a little expensive but…" The bard murmured while fidgeting with her coin purse.

"It is kind of expensive, that's almost as much as a 30 pound bag of rice." Mio added, a tinge of suspicion in her voice. "Hina, he's not trying to rip her off, is he?"

"I don't think so…" Hinako responded as she nodded towards the counter. The man came out carrying two big sacks over each of his shoulders.

"Two 25 pound bags of honey-roasted acorns." He said excitedly.

Yui's nervous excitement was mixed with worry and surprise, she turned back to the rest of the group as if asking what to do, she was met with head shaking and negative gestures.

 _What should I do? On one hand I really want more of these acorns, but on the other, I definitely can't carry 50 pounds of them around._

She was visibly troubled and getting more upset by the second, her distress dissipated like clouds being swept away by the wind, a wind with very thick eyebrows, as Mugi walked over to the counter and grabbed both bags from the vendor.

"Thank you!" The blonde girl said as she took the sacks and slung them over her shoulders.

"MUGI!" Yui exclaimed as she clung onto her savior, "THANK YOU, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!"

"Don't mention it." Mugi responded with a kind smile.

The ensemble walked around the marketplace for some time, picking up random trinkets and snacks with them as they went. They exited the main square and continued towards the giant oak tree in the middle of the town.

As they were leaving the main square, Mugi stopped the rest of the group.

"Excuse me!" The rest of the group turned to listen to the girl carrying the two bags of acorns.

"Mugi! Let me switch with you!" the bard asked, Mugi shook her head.

"I just want you to help me put these in my backpack."

The rest of the girls looked befuddled and intrigued. They moved closer to Mugi as she put down both sacks onto the street.

"I don't think these two will fit in your bag." Hinako said with a puzzled look on her face, Mugi shook her head again.

"I'm sure they'll fit, my bag's pretty empty anyways." Mugi responded as she undid the straps of the bag she carried on her back.

By all means, it appeared to be an ordinary cloth sack tied with a piece of string. If anything it just looked weird in contrast with the girl's beautiful plate armor. Mugi set the bag on the ground and undid the string that was holding it closed.

"Here," she said as she opened the bag as much as she could, "Hold this open for a second."

Yui grabbed the edges of the open bag and held them open as much as the bag would allow, Mugi grabbed one of the bags and eased it down into the open cloth backpack.

The group's confusion only grew threefold as the canvas sack full of acorns disappeared into the brown cloth bag, and then even more as the second one did mere seconds later.

"Wha-"

Mugi took the bag from Yui's hands and tied it closed with the piece of string.

"What?" The entire group voiced their confusion as Mugi started adjusting the leather straps on the bag around her shoulders.

When she was finally comfortable with the bag's straps, she noticed how the group was closing in on her with inquisitive looks.

"It's a magic bag." The girl explained with a chuckle. All of the girls besides Yui decided to take this at face value and kept walking towards their destination.

* * *

 **\- 4:30 P.M. -**

"How much can you fit in it?" Yui had been bombarding the blonde girl with questions for the last ten minutes.

"She told me 700 pounds, but I doubt I'll ever get to that" Mugi chuckled.

"Isn't it heavy?"

"Doesn't feel heavy at all, but then again not a lot of things do"

"Can I fit in there?"

"I don't think you want to try" She answered with a scared look on her face, Yui decided not to ask further.

Over the last few minutes of walking, the already gigantic oak tree had been increasing in size as they walked towards it. The small walkways and houses that were wrapped around the trunk were gaining detail slowly, dots turned into windows and torches, streaks of color turned into flags and banners, and the little moving figures that looked like ants transformed into people.

As they reached the top of an incline, the landscape around the base of the tree revealed itself, dozens of tents had been set up and were bustling with activity. The sight sparked up the curiosity in Yui once again.

"What's going on down there?" The brunette asked emphatically, her question was met with solemn silence from Ui and Mio.

"Are those…" Mugi asked timidly.

"Those are the refugees from Toriko." Hinako answered.

Yui's smile faded away as she gazed into the hundreds of people around the tree, the rest of the walk was silent. Upon reaching the bottom of the hill and into the refugee camp, the difference in perspective was palpable. Some people were crowded in small groups, talking and sharing an early supper; groups of kids ran around, playing and screaming.

They walked through the tents following Hinako closely when Mugi felt something tugging on her backpack, she turned around and saw a small tuft of messy black hair. A young boy who barely reached Mugi's waist backed off slightly, his big brown eyes were shimmering and he looked like he was about to cry. The blonde girl smiled kindly.

"How may I help you?" she spoke softly while kneeling down to the boy's level.

The boy took a step forward and tried to speak, but his voice wouldn't come out. The rest of the girls noticed that Mugi was lagging behind and called out to her.

"Mugi? Is everything alright?" Mio asked from afar, Mugi nodded in response as the rest of the group walked towards her. The kid shrunk back even further.

"Are you lost?" she asked the boy once more, the messy locks on the boy's head bounced as he nodded.

"Do you need help finding your parents?" The boy nodded again. Mugi stared at the ground for a second, lost in thought briefly, then turned around and showed her back to the little boy.

"Hop on, This'll help find your parents faster."

The kid hesitated and looked at the rest of the girls, they all looked at him as if giving approval. He walked up to Mugi and climbed onto her shoulders.

"Alright, hold on tight." The boy held onto Mugi's head as she stood up, and shut his eyes tight as to not get vertigo. "You gotta open your eyes if you wanna find your parents," Mugi teased.

"How did you-" The boy spoke, surprised.

"I got you to say something!" Mugi rejoiced, "It was a lucky guess" she smiled. The boy blushed.

They continued moving through the tents guided by Hinako, while the kid searched intently for his parents. They finally arrived at a slightly bigger tent, decorated with royal army banners staked at the entrance. The five girls and their new companion stopped right before entering, exchanged looks and then all looked at the unnamed boy.

"Where were you when you lost sight of your mom?" Yui asked, the boy looked away shyly.

 _I think it's too late to be shy now._ Yui thought as she saw the kid sitting on Mugi's shoulders.

"Come on, now. We can't help you if you don't talk to us." Mugi spoke sternly, yet kindly.

The kid fidgeted with his hands and looked away nervously, and after taking a deep breath he murmured something. The party, unable to hear him,closed in around Mugi.

"S-supper." The boy said more clearly this time.

"You were in line for supper?" Ui asked, the boy nodded.

"Alright, then I know where we should go!" Hinako said confidently.

"Where are you guys going?" Ritsu whispered into Mio's ear.

Mio jumped back and squealed out of fear, much to Ritsu's delight, though short-lived since her smirk disappeared when Mio hit her square over the head.

"YOU IDIOT!" Mio scolded Ritsu, who apologized while trying to contain her laughter.

"Ritsu! Where did you come from?" a curious Yui inquired.

"I was in this tent going over the plans for tomorrow with the officer in charge of this place" she said while lazily pointing towards the big tent behind her. "I'll explain it as soon as we're done going to wherever we're going now."

She looked at the kid sitting on Mugi's shoulders, "Do I know you?" She asked, slightly puzzled. The boy shaked his head.

"This little fella' asked us to help him find his parents," Mugi responded, "He said he got lost somewhere around the line for supper."

"Ah, that shouldn't be far away from where we are." Ritsu added, "Let's get going then."

The five girls and the boy followed Hinako to the place where supper was being served, the line was just finishing up, and surely, they found the preoccupied mother of the boy searching frantically around the girls approached the woman who was relieved upon seeing her boy once again, and handed him over to her. The mother tried to offer some form of compensation, but the group refused politely.

After expressing their gratitude, the woman and her child left to get their share of food, and the group walked back towards the tent where they rendezvoused with Ritsu.

"So, how are you feeling, Mugi?" Yui asked, Mugi had a smile on her face since the boy reunited with his mother. The warrior nodded, and her tangible sense of accomplishment put a smile on the whole party's faces.

"By the way," Yui began, "Are we staying the night in one of these tents tonight?"

Ritsu's smile stiffened slightly, she remained silent for a couple of seconds before responding.

"Nah, sister!" She exclaimed, "We're staying up there!"

She pointed somewhere along the wooden walkways that wrapped around the giant oak, it took a minute for Yui to find the exact place but she finally recognized the guild's crest on one of the houses. She voiced her surprise and excitement in a long syllable.

"And we are going to go up there using that thing!" Ritsu pointed somewhere else along the tree, and Yui tried lining her view with the spot Ritsu pointed at, but failed to find what she was trying to highlight.

"What thing?" She asked.

"What?" Ritsu said as she also didn't find what she thought was pointing at.

"Well-" Hinako interjected, "The lifts are not working right now, so you're going to have to walk."

"What?" Ritsu asked again, completely befuddled.

"You better get walking or else you won't get there by the time the sun is completely down." Hinako mocked them, "I'll see you again tomorrow morning, nice to meet you all!" The party sans Ritsu and Yui all waved Hinako goodbye.

The copper-haired girl walked away nonchalantly while Ritsu stood there defeated, Yui was terrified at the thought of having to go up however many steps it was to get up there.

"Well, I guess we should start walking now." Mio suggested as she started walking, Mugi and Ui followed her while Yui and Ritsu stood in place.

"Well I guess it's never too late to look for a tent down here." Ritsu said while walking the other way.

"Yeah! Let's go look for a place down here." Yui suggested while following Ritsu.

They both stopped as they felt an arrow whizz past them and into the dirt next to their feet.

"Though going up the tree doesn't sound like a bad idea now that I think about it." Ritsu decided.

"Yeah, let's go up the tree." Yui agreed.

"And pick up the arrow, Mio's going to want that back."

"Yes ma'am" Yui said as she bent down and plucked the arrow out of the dirt.

* * *

 **\- 12:00 AM -**

Hours after supper, and at the end of a long day, the five girls who had arrived that afternoon to the town of Hadori were sleeping peacefully in the beds of the guild lodging, when the slender figure of Mio Akiyama awoke from a restless sleep. She sat up on her bed and looked around the room, finding everyone fast asleep she stood up quietly and started making her way to the bed next to the door, the spot where Ritsu liked to sleep.

It wasn't the first time she had done this, on occasional nights before battle when anxiety riddled her thoughts and hindered her sleep, she would ask Ritsu to sleep close to her until, with time, they felt comfortable sharing the same bed. She reached the foot of the bed but didn't find the rogue sleeping there, Mio wasn't exactly surprised, but a worrying suspicion in the back of her head had been made correct. She walked back to her bed and grabbed a cloak made out of animal fur out of her traveling bag,and wrapped herself in it before walking out of the room.

After walking through the lobby of the lodge and out into the cold winter night, the elf tore a small patch of fur from her cloak and clenched it in her fist. Holding the scrap of fur close to her heart, she whispered an incantation to herself and then spoke Ritsu's name. The scrap of fur dissolved in her hand, as if being consumed by fire, it let out a puff of smoke that lingered in front of the ranger's eyes. Mio took a deep breath and inhaled the thin white smoke, coughing violently after doing so.

 _I'll never get used to that_ , The elf thought, but now her direction was clear.

She climbed up the side of the lodge, making sure not to look down and carefully measuring each stride precisely. She climbed from window, to post, to window, and onto the roof of the wooden building. She closed her eyes and visualized Ritsu's direction again, she walked towards the backside of the building and reluctantly looked over the edge of the roof. She saw the tawny-haired girl laying back on a tree limb that was parallel to the lodge, her gaze lost to the pale winter moon.

"Hey" Mio greeted the rogue.

"Hey," Ritsu acknowledged her back.

"What are you doing out here" Mio asked.

"Just thinking" the girl laying on her back answered lazily.

"You know, you don't need to be out here to think"

"I don't know, I felt like I did"

"Aren't you cold?"

"A little bit" Ritsu was shivering slightly.

"It would be bad if you got sick before heading out tomorrow"

"I'm not one to get sick easily"

"I know"

"Then what are you worried about?"

"I'm worried about you"

Ritsu let out a soft chuckle, and spaced out again while staring at the moon until Mio broke the silence once more.

"Can we at least go back inside so we can talk about it?" the elf pleaded.

Ritsu looked at Mio, she was shaking as she lay looking off the edge of the slanted roof, Ritsu knew she wasn't fond of great heights.

"Alright, give me a hand" she said as she stood up.

The rogue prepared to jump the small gap between the branch and the roof of the lodge, Mio stretched her hand outwards and was ready to catch her. The girl jumped, but misjudged the distance between the two of them and reached just short of the wooden rooftop, barely grabbing Mio's hand as she slammed against the side of the lodge with a loud thud. The elf struggled to pull Ritsu up and they both rolled onto the rooftop in exertion, panting.

Ritsu burst out laughing, getting scolded by Mio to keep quiet, but she ended giving in to the tawny-haired girl's contagious laughter.

"Let's get down from here" Ritsu said as she shook the splinters out of her underclothes.

Mio held out her hand, and the rogue pulled her up to her feet. When the roof's edge came back into view, the elf regained the sense of how far up in the air they were. Ritsu let go of Mio's hand but Mio only grasped it tighter.

Ritsu looked at her in confusion. "Is your arm ok?" she asked.

"I'm fine, you idiot" the elf spoke, "Let's just get back to the ground floor already."

Ritsu smiled and continued to hold Mio's hand while they climbed off the roof and down to the front door of the lodge. Mio sighed with relief as they finally set foot in front of the wooden double doors,and hurriedly let go of Ritsu's hand.

"So, are you going to tell me what's wrong?" the elf asked as she adjusted her cloak.

"Oh, it's not a big deal" Ritsu answered.

"Oh really?" Mio snarked, "So you ran out here and were intending to spend the night out in the cold because of nothing?"

"I didn't run" Ritsu stated. "I just didn't feel comfortable sleeping in there".

"What are you talking about?"

"I just-" Ritsu let out a frustrated groan.

"Ritsu…"

"Why is it that I get to sleep with a roof over my head but they don't? I am the one responsible for hundreds of innocent men, women, and children being driven away from their homes; yet I'm given a bed and housing while they sleep on the ground, wondering if they'll ever see their home again"

"You are not responsible for this".

"Yes I am"

"It was a coincidence".

"So what if it was?" Ritsu shouted, choking back tears. "That doesn't make what's happening less real. It doesn't change the fact that it's because I was running around pretending to be a hero that these people are suffering".

"So would you rather not have responsibility for this?"

"No! That's not what I- I just-" The brunette's voice cracked, "I just want everyone to be happy"

"Ritsu…" Mio embraced the girl trying to comfort her.

"I know it's not possible, but at least I want to try" the frustration felt like needles in the back of Ritsu's throat, making it near impossible to speak.

"You can't throw your own happiness away in the process" Mio consoled her, "If you do then that doesn't count as everyone".

"I don't care about me" Ritsu cried out into Mio's shoulder.

"But I do. And Mugi, and Yui, and Ui, and everyone else," Mio said, "And if you say you don't care about yourself that means you don't care about us".

"Mio.."

"So you better let us help you with this, or else you're gonna make us all feel really bad" Mio sniffled and wiped away tears from her face.

"Mio, why are you the one crying?" Ritsu asked.

"I'm not crying, shut up" Mio choked out. Ritsu smiled and hugged the elf tighter. They both jumped when they heard sobbing coming from the other side of the door. Ritsu broke the hug to see where the noise was coming from, pulling open the wooden door.

Without the wood barrier holding her back anymore, Yui slumped over on top of Ritsu, big round tears rolling down her cheeks. The bumbling mess clung onto the tawny-haired girl, causing them both to fall to the ground.

"RITSU!" Yui cried, almost unintelligibly.

"Yui? Why are you crying?" the rogue asked, puzzled.

"IT'S JUST THAT- WE DIDN'T- AND YOU- AND THE WHOLE- YOU COULD'VE" Yui couldn't stop tripping over her own words.

"What she's trying to say is that we didn't know this was causing you to be so troubled," Ui spoke as she walked out from the lodge, "You could've told us, you don't have to do this alone" The cleric smiled.

"Besides…" Mugi also spoke as she appeared, "We're a team now, so we have to help each other out".

Between snot and tears, Yui finally strung a sentence together.

"YOU CAN COUNT ON US FOR WHATEVER YOU NEED"

"Guys..."

Ritsu smiled and hugged the bard tightly, trying to calm her down. She felt as if a weight that she had been carrying since the start of the week eased up on her chest, and tears started streaming down her cheeks. She laughed a kind laugh, a laugh full of gratitude, full of shared sorrows and of a growing sense of kinship, a laugh that enveloped them like a blanket and kept them warm on that cold winter night.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, uh, it's the end of june, right? No? Well, shit.

It's Taco again, if you thought I had abandoned this then it's not your lucky day. I just was unable to write for the last week of june and the first week of july, so this is coming out now.

Anyways, I had fun writing this chapter. Lots of Moogs is always fun for everyone involved (or at least I hope so) I wanted to get into her relationship with the city of Toyosato, and I hope I can expand upon it in the following chapters (Yes! There will be more!) and just how good she is at handling stuff despite her lack of experience, she might make mistakes at first, but she faces it with a shining smile!

Next chapter is going to have more action in it like the first chapter did, so if you liked that then I hope you'll like it. Coming at the very end of july (this time for real)

Oh! The LAS is now on AO3 as well, so be sure to check that out! /series/776397

Thanks for reading, and see you at the end of july. Taco out!


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